


You Will Kill Luke Skywalker

by BlueInkAlchemist



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Die mad about it, F/M, fair warning, i'm not changing luke's story in the canon, just adding to it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2020-12-14 07:05:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 58,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21011729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueInkAlchemist/pseuds/BlueInkAlchemist
Summary: Introducing the character of Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand, into the new canon of Star Wars. Hopefully without breaking anything. Other than hearts.





	1. Mustafar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tsukara (AndThenTheresAnne)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndThenTheresAnne/gifts).

> _O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend  
The brightest heaven of invention!  
The galaxy a stage, Sith lords to act  
And Jedi to behold the swelling scene!  
Then should dark lord Sidious, as his Hand,  
Send forth deadly Mara, and at her heels,  
Leash'd in like hounds, should sabre, Force, and fire  
Crouch for employment. But pardon, gentles all  
The flat unraised author that hath dared  
In this unworthy text file to bring forth  
So great an object. Can this fanfic hold  
The vast Regions Unknown? Or may we cram  
Within digital lines the very ghosts  
That did affright the halls of Coruscant?  
O pardon, since a few slight keystrokes may  
Attest in place much greater characters.  
And let me, cipher to this great accompt,  
On your imaginary forces work.  
Suppose within the margins of your screen  
Are now confined two star-cross'd warriors  
Whose disparate and abutting mindsets  
In perilous conflict lay asunder.  
Piece out my imperfections with your thoughts.  
Into a thousand strikes divide one word,  
And make imaginary fated duels.  
When I write of starships, think you see them  
intergalactic and planetary,  
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our Knights.  
Carry them here and there, jumping 'twixt stars,  
Turning th' accomplishment of many years  
Into an hour-glass; for the which supply,  
Admit me chorus to this history;  
Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray,  
Gently to read, kindly to judge, our Jade.  
_

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A LONG TIME AGO  
IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY... 
> 
> The Galactic Civil War rages across the stars. As the Rebel Alliance musters its strength, based on scant intelligence from doomed Bothan operatives, Emperor Palpatine eagerly awaits the completion of his second Death Star. His apprentice, Darth Vader, broods in his sanctuary on Mustafar, torn between his loyalty to his Emperor and the fact that his son, Luke Skywalker, was hidden from him by that very same Emperor's lies. As Luke Skywalker himself prepares to rescue his friend Han Solo from vile gangster Jabba the Hutt, a new figure enters the scene.
> 
> Raised from a young age by only the most trusted of Emperor Palpatine's caretakers and advisers, Mara Jade is the Emperor's Hand, a clandestine assassin trained in the ways of the Force to track down and kill Jedi throughout the galaxy. She is a skilled infiltrator, highly adept at the manipulation and intimidation of others, and absolutely deadly in combat. Having slain several renegade Jedi, she has been tasked to retrieve Vader from Mustafar, so he may oversee operations on Endor. Little does she know that this errand will set in motion a chain of events that will utterly change her life...

Mara Jade hated Mustafar.

It wasn’t the rampant seismic activity or the noxious fumes being spewed out by the furious volcanoes. It wasn’t how rickety so many of the mining platforms and support structures. It wasn’t the ominous lighting of the oversight towers and cargo crawlers, all owned by mining firms now serving to the Empire, rather than the Techno Union as they had been during the Clone Wars.

Mara Jade hated Mustafar because a Jedi had defied one of the Emperor’s chosen there, and lived to tell the tale.

Her last target had not been so fortunate. Jedi Master Ki-Rin had managed to escape Order 66 through the clever use of a slingshot maneuver that put their Actis interceptor back in contact with their hyperdrive ring. It had taken Mara two years of hard work to track them into Wild Space. In the end, it had come down to a battle in space, with Mara’s gunship, the _ Nightsister, _getting disabled by an ion-warhead torpedo with a proximity fuse. She’d been able to launch two concussion missiles before that crippling blow. With the power of the Force, she’d guided the deadly projectiles into the escaping Jedi starfighter, reducing it and its traitorous pilot to ashes.

The _ Nightsister _ had been damaged too badly for her to repair, so she’d sent a distress signal, and then she waited. It could have been pirates or smugglers that had picked her up. She’d heard that a smuggler operation lead by known Outer Rim privateer Talon Karrde had been increasingly active since the Battle of Hoth. But it was the familiar and welcome sight of an Imperial Star Destroyer that had emerged out of hyperspace above the _ Nightsister _ . Now, the _ Nightsister _ was in the hangar bay of the _ Manticore _, flagship of the 11th fleet. 

The fact that she had not arrived here under her own power was one more thing she hated.

She stood on the bridge next to the 11th fleet’s commander, who turned to regard her.

“I’m told that your ship is capable of sub-light and atmospheric flight,” Grand Admiral Karyn Faro said, “but that the hyperdrive requires a bit more work before it is fully functional.”

Mara frowned. “It’ll have to do. I hope I’m not inconveniencing you, Grand Admiral.”

“On the contrary. I am under strict orders from the Emperor himself.” Faro’s face didn’t betray much in the way of emotion, but Mara gleaned from the rippling sensations across Faro’s surface thoughts that she was carefully controlling the dread she had felt standing in Palpatine’s presence. “You are both to be brought aboard the _ Manticore _and returned to Death Squadron. By then, your ship should be fully repaired.”

“Very well.” Mara turned and headed for the turbolift. “Let’s get it done, then.”

“Lady Jade?”

Mara stopped and looked over her shoulder at Faro. “Yes?”

Faro frowned. She was a capable officer, Mara knew that much. She’d been promoted to command of the 11th Fleet, and then to Grand Admiral, due mostly to her service under another of the Emperor’s chosen servants, Grand Admiral Thrawn. When Thrawn disappeared along with the Jedi Ezra Bridger, Faro had been promoted to fill the gap. But how much Faro knew about the Emperor’s chosen, Mara didn’t know. 

The Emperor’s Hand was a closely guarded secret. Moreso than the Death Star had ever been. Only Palpatine, Vader, and the Inquisitorius had been aware of the position. Indeed, many of the Inquisitorius had vied with Mara for her place as Hand. But they were blunt instruments, using their rank and presence alone to flush out Jedi and other Force-sensitives lurking in the shadows of the Empire. The Hand was more subtle. The Hand was a skilled and versatile operator, being the center of attention at a grand ball one moment and scaling fortress walls in clandestine assassinations the next. The Hand hunted more than Jedi — traitors, saboteurs, and pretenders to power all beheld the Hand as their last sight before death.

How much of that did Karyn Faro know? Mara waited. The thoughts of the Grand Admiral would tell her, if she could focus well enough on them.

Many aspects of using the Force came easily to Mara. Darth Vader had taught her lightsaber combat, and Palpatine himself had shown her how to cloud the minds of others and hide her presence from both physical senses and the Force itself. Both seemed pleased at that. Yet reading minds or sensing life forms in the distance required more than what informed those skills. Was it focus she lacked? Control? Greater knowledge?

She banished such thoughts. She was waiting for Faro to speak her mind.

“If you wanted, we could remain in orbit a bit longer. I could have the techs work double shifts to speed the repair process. Then you could return Lord Vader to the Emperor entirely under your own power.”

“Are you so eager to be rid of me, Admiral?”

“Not at all. I simply wished to offer an opportunity for you to proceed at your own discretion. You would not be beholden to the _ Manticore _for transportation.”

Mara narrowed her eyes. “Speak your mind, Grand Admiral Faro.”

Faro approached, dropping her voice. “Lady Jade, you didn’t come here on an Imperial Shuttle, nor do you have a command ship of your own. That gunship down in the hangar is something else entirely. And then there’s the lightsaber on your belt. Whatever your duties are to the Emperor, I do not want to stand in the way of them one second longer than I have to. I’m not afraid of you, by any stretch — on the contrary, I want to help you, if I can.”

Mara considered this. Faro, indeed, wasn’t afraid. There was determination in her demeanor. Mara hadn’t studied Faro’s service record extensively, but she knew it had been an incredible struggle for her to achieve her promotions in the midst of the posturing and politicking that inevitably came with being female in a career dominated by males. Mara had considered it no coincidence that Faro, the first female Grand Admiral, had been chosen to replace the first alien Grand Admiral, who had also been her commanding officer, and perhaps even a mentor. She wondered, and perhaps in another time and place would have asked Faro, if she was grateful to Thrawn, or if she wished she had earned her white uniform outside of an alien’s shadow.

“Thank you, Admiral.” Mara’s voice was genuine in its gratitude. “It’s easy to forget sometimes that not all Imperial officers are selfish and self-serving.” She frowned. “Unfortunately, we can’t delay. Lord Vader is already aware of my presence. The longer he’s made to wait, the more irritable he’ll become.”

While her skill at such things wasn’t as keen as others, she felt a chill go down her spine.

“And he’s quite irritable already.”

* * *

The interior of Vader's fortress was as vast, lonely, and foreboding as the presence of the man himself. Mara waited in the center of the circular platform of what apparently served as an audience chamber of sorts. Even before the massive door on the far side of the room opened, she felt the seething emotions of the man on the other side. For someone who clearly valued seclusion and privacy, it seemed to Mara that he was all but screaming his emotions. 

Something had happened to Vader on Bespin. Something that had caused the Emperor to send his Hand to collect him, rather than using holographic communication.

The door locked in place in its open position, and Vader strode towards her. The sound of his mechanical breathing apparatus filled the room. Mara inclined her head slightly in his direction.

“Lord Vader,” she greeted him.

“Hand,” he said simply. Though she couldn’t see them, she was sure he’d said the word through gritted teeth.

“Are you prepared to leave? The Emperor is expecting you.”

“The Emperor is _ always _expecting me.” Vader leveled the inscrutable eyes of his dark mask on Mara. “Expecting me to serve him, until the moment I betray him.”

Mara felt her hand twitch instinctively towards her lightsaber. “What?”

“It is the way of the Sith. The apprentice will rise to challenge the master. Should the apprentice prevail, the master is too weak to lead. And if the master prevails, the apprentice may be too weak to learn.” Vader paused. “That is the destiny of all Sith. It became my destiny long ago. And now, Mara Jade, that is your destiny as well.”

“Never.” Mara raised her chin in a defiant gesture. “I’ll never betray the Emperor.”

Vader seemed to loom larger in the chamber as that cold mask fixed its eyes upon her. "Then perhaps it is _me_ that you will betray."

Mara said nothing. For a moment, they stood there, staring at one another.

It was Vader who moved first, lightsaber leaping into his hand, the blade tossing shadows away with its angry red blade. Mara jumped backwards, igniting her own lightsaber, bringing its magenta blade into a guard position. She immediately assessed the situation, her opponent, and their surroundings. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Vader was testing her, or truly intended to kill her.

“Fight every battle as if your life depends on it,” Vader had told her once.

So she did.

Vader was faster than most might give him credit for, given his need for a full-body prosthesis merely to stay alive. But that equipment did add weight to his frame. He was physically imposing, but not as nimble as Mara. Every time he swung at her, she deflected in such a way as to use the momentum of his strike to move in a new direction. She tested his defenses, looking for blind spots, and began to anticipate his movements. A parry here, a riposte there, a move half a meter to her right followed by a quick feint and then _ there _—

Vader barely parried her strike, and sparks flew from the side of his knee, a glancing blow that, a few centimeters over, would have robbed him of his lower leg. With a grunt, he opened his hand and shoved Mara away with the Force. It happened so fast, Mara almost blacked out from the sheer pressure of it. She managed to land on her feet near the still open door to the inner chambers of the Fortress, and while her knees buckled, she lowered her left hand to steady herself, right on her lightsaber held aloft, eyes rising to meet Vader’s.

“Impressive,” Vader said, then straightened and shut down his lightsaber. “Your abilities have grown since the last time we fought. You’ve done well, Mara Jade.”

Catching her breath, Mara shut down her own weapon and brushed a lock of red hair out of her eyes. “Thank you, my lord. Do you need repairs?”

Vader didn’t move, but an errant spark popped from the gash on the side of his knee. “No. We should depart.”

“As you wish, my lord. The _ Nightsister _ awaits. Her hyperdrive is damaged, but the flagship of the 11th fleet, the _ Manticore _, will take us to the Emperor.”

“Trouble with Master Ki-Rin?”

Mara sniffed. “He was a coward, and he died a coward’s death.”

“He was one of the most skilled starfighter pilots in the Jedi Order,” Vader snapped, “and a brilliant tactician. Consider yourself fortunate that you survived where several of the Inquisitors had failed.”

“I didn’t announce my presence the way those bloodthirsty zealots love to do,” Mara shot back, “because you and the Emperor taught me better than that. It’s because of your training that I was able to find him at all, let alone flush him out of his hiding place, drive him into space, and then destroy him. You trained me to be better than even the Grand Inquisitor, and I am. After all, where is the Grand Inquisitor now? Dead, along with all of his Brothers and Sisters, and every single Jedi I’ve tracked down. Not a single one has escaped me. _ Not one. _”

Vader’s breathing filled the room again in the silence that followed. He leaned, just a few centimetres, towards Mara.

"_All _of his Brothers and Sisters? Are you certain?"

Mara blinked at Darth Vader. Somehow, the very quiet and matter-of-fact way he asked that question was just as chilling, if not moreso, than his explosive anger. Suddenly, the Dark Lord turned on his heel, walking towards the exit without looking back.

“I am prepared to leave. Now.”

It was Mara’s turn grind her teeth. Something about the conversation had touched one of Vader's raw nerves. She knew that he was Palpatine’s apprentice, and they had known each other for a long time. Neither of them spoke of what had happened before the Emperor had issued Order 66, and the hunt for the Jedi who had escaped the purge had begun. That something about her dismissal of the old Jedi Master as a coward had prompted such a visceral response spoke of some deeper history.

She shook her head. It was from before her time. The Emperor wanted Jedi dead — that was all that mattered. The rest was details.

* * *

The _ Nightsister _ was, indeed, fully repaired by the time the _ Manticore _ emerged from hyperspace over Scarif. Darth Vader had told Grand Admiral Faro that she was to return to the 11th fleet, rather than taking him all the way to Coruscant. His command ship, the _Executor_, had been stationed at Scarif for some reason that was not shared with Faro, nor with Mara. 

From the deck of the hangar bay, she watched as the engine flares of Vader’s shuttle faded towards the long, dark arrowhead shape of the _ Executor _. Mara still felt his powerful, churning thoughts. Even now, he was stalling in his return to the Emperor’s side. Something was clearly bothering him. Far more than the mere mention of an old, dead Jedi.

She had no such hesitation, no such dismay at the thought of a return to Coruscant. She turned to the _ Nightsister _ and climbed the ladder up to the starboard hatch. The raider, a VT-49 Decimator, was an Imperial answer to the likes of the ubiquitous YT-1300 and other light freighters favored by the scum within the Rebel Alliance. Far more robust than a starfighter, the _ Nightsister _still packed enough firepower to rival a CR-90 corvette, a capital ship five times as long as the VT-49. Mara smiled at a memory, closing the hatch behind her.

An Alderaanian CR-90 had discovered just how deadly the _ Nightsister _could be just a few years before. The larger ship had attempted to flee the obliteration of their homeworld, thanks to the foresight of a Jedi who had been on the planet at the time. The Jedi, however, had not foreseen the Emperor’s Hand tracking their ship. A mere two hours after launching from the Death Star, Mara found and destroyed the corvette, then picked off the few escape pods that had launched one by one. 

One more Jedi threat eliminated. One step closer to forever securing the Emperor’s peace.

Her ears picked up a soft whirring sound from the crew cabin of the _ Nightsister _. She walked forward through the cargo bay, which was often used in VT-49s for troopers. She had converted it into a training area, as well as installing a small holding area for a prisoner, just in case she was ever ordered to provide one for the Emperor. Past the bay was the cabin. Inside, between her and the octagonal window reminiscent of that in a TIE fighter’s cockpit, a small dark orb floated in the middle of the air. It was the source of the humming.

“Hello, IA-5. Wake up.”

The orb slowly entered its active configuration. In its collapsed state, it was about the size of a thermal detonator. As panels slid open and apart, it maintained a mostly spherical shape, but a few details became apparent under its dark shell. A red lens flicked on and oriented itself towards Mara as a long, flexible antenna extended from one side.

“Ah, Mistress Mara.” The voice of the droid was genial, quiet, and in a frequency range that rendered it genderless. It reminded Mara of the host of a restaurant she’d visited in Canto Bight. “I trust your sojourn to Mustafar was a successful one, then?”

“It was.” She set down her pack and unloaded its two changes of clothes, spare blaster power packs, tool kits, and thermal detonators. “I hope you weren’t too bored without me.”

“Unfortunately,” IA-5 sighed, “none of the _ Manticore _’s technicians actually came aboard the ship. I was curious if any of them would fall under the belief that they could better enact repairs from the interior. I was disappointed. The hatch security code wasn’t sliced once. Not even an attempt.” The droid made a noise that sounded a lot like a person clicking their tongue in dismay while shaking their head. “No curiosity in the technically minded these days.”

Mara frowned as she stuffed her clothes into the small fabric refresher located near the lavatory. “You _ wanted _them to break in?”

“I would not have complained if they had,” IA-5 replied coolly. “It has, after all, been some time since I have been able to service a client properly. One mustn’t let one’s skills atrophy if at all possible. I welcome any opportunity to practice my craft.”

Mara narrowed her eyes at the dark spheroid. IA-5’s design was based on the Sith probe droids used by one of the Emperor’s former pupils, Darth Maul. But their personality, and some of those hidden devices, were ported directly from an IT-0 interrogator. What’s more, Mara had happened across some old data tapes of antique HK model assassin droids, and while she wasn’t a slicer by any stretch of the imagination, she knew who to call in a favor with to get some of those subroutines installed in her assistant.

So when IA-5 referred to “serving a client” and their “craft”, it meant using their blaster on its stun setting, a variety of narcotic interrogation drugs, a variable-charge electrical prod, and encyclopedic knowledge of the anatomies of over a hundred species to gain information… and, sometimes, Mara believed, just to hear them scream.

She finished putting on her fresh clothes and wondered if the modifications she’d made were a good idea. IA-5 would have worked perfectly well as a nameless probe droid. But she’d wanted to show her initiative, her creativity. So from slicers to droid mechanics to artificers in the Outer Rim, she and her dark companion had hopped from one to the next, until the result was the small, stealthy, and utterly deadly and depraved droid that now watched her, unblinking.

“Well, you may get your chance soon enough,” she said. “I want you to begin making calculations for a hyperspace jump to Coruscant. I need to submit my report to the Emperor.”

“Very good, Mistress Mara.” The droid turned and floated off towards the bridge, humming quietly to themselves.

Interrogation and torture never appealed to Mara. Yes, information could be hard to extract sometimes, but if her methods of diplomacy, persuasion, or intimidation didn’t work, she always had the Force to rely on. To waste energy, resources, and above all time on something as crude and sadistic as torture simply seemed counter-productive to her.

With a shrug, she checked her equipment. Her blaster was serviced, thanks to the time she’d had on the _ Manticore _with little to do but wait for her ship to be repaired. Her belt held all she could need in an emergency — spare blaster power packs, a field aid kit, a water flask and a small pouch of rations, a compact pair of macrobinoculars, a variable and versatile hand tool, and an advanced comlink. Having checked all of this to her satisfaction, she picked up her lightsaber last. She turned it over in her hand, contemplating her training, her mission, her Emperor…

“Mistress Mara,” IA-5 said, their voice only slightly distorted by the overhead speaker, “Grand Admiral Faro has given us permission to depart at our discretion, and personally wishes you good fortune. She will be taking the _ Manticore _to hyperspace as soon as we are clear, and cannot afford any delay for further communication.”

Mara frowned and shook her head. Clipping the lightsaber to her belt, she walked aft, then up the ramp to the bridge. Turning away from the ladder leading to the laser turrets, she moved to the pilot’s chair in front of the wide, curved windows facing forward. 

“Too much time in my own thoughts,” she said, seeing that IA-5 had already prepared the ship and warmed up its drives. “We have important work ahead of us.”

“I do hope so, Mistress,” IA-5 replied.

And with that, the _ Manticore _ and the _ Nightsister _ parted ways. The _ Manticore _ , for parts unknown; the _ Nightsister, _for Coruscant.

* * *

Being the Emperor’s Hand meant that Mara could have gone anywhere on Coruscant, do virtually anything she liked. With the right dress, some makeup, and a few batted eyelashes, she could have spent the entire evening being pampered and fawned over by the fanciful elite, feeding them any story she liked about who she was and where she was from, all the while testing their loyalty to the Empire and noting weaknesses she could exploit should she need to eliminate them. She could have stumbled from one seedy undercity pub to the next, getting into fights she was sure to win or engaging in some other form of mindless indulgence.

That was not the life of Mara Jade, however. Her focus, her entire purpose was on the will of Emperor Palpatine and the elimination of his most hated foes.

Still, she found ways to have fun.

Rather than walk into the Imperial Palace, Mara found an exterior surface that was suitable for climbing and located in a blind spot in the patrol routes and surveillance droids that protected the building at all hours. She made mental notes to pass on to the Imperial Royal Guard, who would be sure to correct the oversight. Then, she made her way through a dusty window into a seemingly forgotten service corridor, which lead her to one of the lift shafts that ran from the sub-basement bunker levels to the peak of the tallest tower, where she knew the Emperor would be waiting.

She opened the service door and waited. Eventually, the lift plummeted past her, down towards the depths of the palace. Taking a deep breath, she jumped across the cavernous tube to the other side. As soon as she touched it, she pushed off, angling upwards and calling on the Force. With the speed and agility flowing through her, she zig-zagged her way up the shaft. It was a long climb, longer than she’d thought, and just as she was starting to feel her concentration slipping, she heard the lift rushing upwards again. Quickly, she found the next service door, pushed it open with the Force, and rolled through as the lift came to a stop, blocking the door. Mara caught her breath, then smiled. 

The interior of lift tubes were not monitored, but service corridors often were, and this one, being much closer to the Emperor’s throne room, was surely watched in some way or another. So, again, Mara waited for the lift to drop out of sight, then resumed her ascent. It took two more pauses before she reached the top. Even at this height, a service corridor was necessary. She ducked into it, moved as quickly and quietly as she could, then found what she was looking for: a ventilation shaft with a grate in the floor near the Emperor’s throne room. 

The grate was for the lavatory, one near the small locker room used by the Imperial Royal Guard when their duty shifts changed. Slowly, Mara lifted the grate and pushed it to one side, using the Force to control it in such a way that it did not make noise. Then, climbing out of the floor, she crept towards the door. A member of the Royal Guard was preparing to go on duty, slipping on his red robes. Mara was fast, leaping out and clubbing the man with the hilt of her lightsaber. He collapsed, sagging under her with a groan. Quickly, she removed his robes, pulled him into the lavatory, and locked the door. Then, she donned the robes, picked up the force pike, and strode out into the throne room’s antechamber in a way that she hoped approximated the military precision the man’s fellows would expect.

She got as far as the throne room before the members of the Guard set upon her.

As they flanked her and moved in, she threw the force pike like a javelin at the one on her left. The man flew back, carried by the pike, as she spun, flinging the red robes open and back, away from her lightsaber. The warrior still standing jabbed at her with his pike. She crouched and bent, left hand pulling her helmet off, right hand swinging up with her weapon as the blade roared to life. She split the other’s weapon in half, then turned and threw the helmet at the head of the one she’d laid out previously, resulting in a satisfying and loud cracking sound as one helmet struck the other. Then, she held the tip of her lightsaber up to the polarized eye slit facing her.

Half a dozen more of the Royal Guard rushed towards her. They were silent, but their intent was clear in their thoughts and motions. They would kill her if they could. And now, there were seven of them. She set her jaw and prepared herself.

“Enough.”

Enunciated, powerful syllables brought everyone in the room to a standstill. Through a semi-circle of assembled Royal Guard, still ready for combat but holding their stances and poses, the hunched and hooded figure of Emperor Palpatine moved towards Mara Jade, leaning on a gnarled cane of lacquered black wood as he came to a halt. The head of the figure rose, and sickly yellow eyes peered at her from deep sockets in a face wrinkled and scarred by the last time a Force-sensitive person had tried to assassinate him.

Mara fell to one knee, her lightsaber seeming to snuff out of its own accord.

“My Emperor,” she whispered. “Your Hand is at your service.”

“Is she indeed?”

She dared not look up. She broke into a sweat. She could _ feel _his gaze, the tendril-like influence of his mind casually brushing against her being, like some mythical creature in a deep dark sea sliding its tentacles against the hull of a sailing ship before pulling it, and all the souls aboard, to a watery grave.

“Always, my Emperor.”

“Then explain this little stunt of yours.”

“I wished to test my skills, and the security of your palace.” She realized she was on the cusp of babbling, of letting her nerves overtake her reason and her training. She stopped, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. “There are several locations that require more scrutiny in —”

“Later.” The Emperor’s voice has changed. Was that… amusement? “Thanks to you, the only assassin that could match your skills is already kneeling before me. Rise.”

Slowly, she obeyed, and met her Emperor’s gaze for a moment before lowering her eyes.

“Come. We have something to discuss. Guards, you may leave us.”

The Royal Guard seemed to melt out of sight. They were well-trained, especially in staying out of Palpatine’s sight for the most part. He seemed to believe he didn’t have much use for them, outside of intimidating Moffs, project directors, and the occasional Grand Admiral. Here, with his Hand, he had even less use for them now than usual. Mara walked with him up onto the dias where his throne was located.

“Master Ki-Rin is dead,” Mara told him.

“If he had not been slain, we would not be having this conversation,” Palpatine replied, amusement in his voice. “I am more interested in your interaction with my apprentice. Why have you arrived before Darth Vader?”

“After departing the _ Manticore _, he flew to his command ship.” Mara stood with her hands behind her back as Palpatine sat. “I don’t know where he went after that, my Emperor. I do know that you had ordered him to come here.”

“Several times.” Palpatine was beginning to sound annoyed. “But that is none of your concern. I have a new target for you. Perhaps the most challenging yet.” A crooked finger rose to point at Mara. “I place great faith in you, young Mara Jade, in completing this task for your Emperor.”

Mara knelt again. “I will not fail you.”

He leaned towards her out of his throne, glaring down at her. “I cannot stress how important it is that you obey this command. Never has there been a greater threat to the peace and order the Empire will impose upon this lawless, chaotic galaxy. He has already cost me greatly, and is on the cusp of growing more dangerous still. We must tear him out of the fabric of the universe, root and stem, if we are to survive… if _ I _am to survive.”

She lifted her gaze to his, her manner determined, her will set upon his command.

“What is thy bidding, my master?”

The Emperor leaned closer, centimeter by centimeter, until his eyes seemed to become her entire world. Never had Mara seen his face contort in sheer unmitigated hate as it did when he spoke. His voice rang in her ears, and the words echoed in her head like an iron bell tolling in some vast, empty, haunted cathedral.

_ “You will kill Luke Skywalker.” _


	2. Tatooine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's this 'Luke Skywalker' dude? Just how bad is Jabba's palace? Was another Death Star a good idea? Read on for the answers of at least some of these questions...

He held the metal implement in his hand, his right hand. He turned metal over metal, only getting true tactile sensations through the fingers of his left hand. The other fingers may have had synthetic skin, the appearance of life, but it wasn’t alive, not in the way the crystal resonated within the cylinder he held. He closed his eyes, reached out with the Force, felt his way along the facets of the crystal even though he could no longer see it. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he extended his arm and touched the activator.

Nothing happened. No shimmering, humming blade threw back the shadows within the hut. Luke sighed. Ben would have had something gently encouraging to say, if he still lived here. If he was still alive. If Luke’s father hadn’t killed him.

Ever since Luke had chased away the Tusken Raiders trying to ransack the place when Luke had first returned to Tatooine, they’d regarded the place as haunted. Despite knowing that this was where the bounty hunter Boba Fett had found him during that same trip, Luke had needed a place on Tatooine to finish his preparations to rescue Han, and Ben’s hut made the most sense. Key to his preparations was this lightsaber.

He stared at the weapon, felt its potential at the same time he felt its incompleteness. Luke would finish it, make it powerful. His jaw became firm, and muscles twitched. He was going to rescue Han, no matter the cost, no matter how many had to…

He shook his head and put down the lightsaber. He sat, in the same place he had sat when he’d asked Ben how his father had died. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His feelings felt like they were desperately wrestling with one another. Determination to remain steady warred with a thirst for vengeance and vindication. Weren’t Jedi supposed to be beyond things like anger, and fear? Wasn’t he a Jedi now?

R2-D2 warbled softly as he rolled into the hut. Luke looked up and gave the droid a bit of a smile. 

“I’m okay, Artoo,” he said. “Just… got a lot on my mind.”

He stood and walked to the door of the hut, the droid coming to a stop next to him. He laid his hand on the dome of his small, steadfast friend.

“It’s like… like I’m not who I was. This used to be home, and now…” He looked out across the dunes and sighed. “It’s like an alien world. I don’t belong here, not anymore. I’m not sure _where _ I belong.”

Artoo hooted softly. Luke smiled and looked down.

“Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”

He turned and walked back into the hut, and stopped short.

Sitting next to where Luke had sat just a few moments before, the blue silhouette of a robed figure began to take shape. At first, Luke thought it would be Obi-Wan Kenobi. But the man who came into being, a blue phantom in place of flesh and blood, was taller, more stately, with long hair tied back in a queue and a well-groomed beard.

“You must be Luke Skywalker,” he said, looking up. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Luke’s brows furrowed, and it took him a moment to find his voice. “Who _ are _ you?”

The silhouette, who wore the robes of a Jedi, seemed a little downcast. “Your time with Obi-Wan must have been very short indeed, if he didn’t tell you about me. I am Qui-Gon Jinn. I was Obi-Wan’s Jedi Master, when he was a young man.”

Luke sat. “When he appeared to me on Hoth, he said that Yoda instructed him.”

“Yoda instructed all of us, in one way or another.” Qui-Gon smiled wistfully. “Even venerable Masters could feel like youngling padawans after a discussion with him.” The smile faded a bit. “I taught Obi-Wan what I could, but I knew I would be but one instructor. A Jedi attends all of the knowledge given to them, and we gain knowledge from many teachers. And when you live as long as Master Yoda has, there’s a great deal of knowledge to give.”

“He’s trained me. He taught me what it means to be a Jedi Knight.”

“He taught you _ more _ about it,” Qui-Gon corrected. “Obi-Wan opened the door for you, and you made the choice to walk through that door. Yoda can show you the path that Jedi have walked for a thousand generations, but you choose to take the steps down that path. The Force is with you, and has been since you were a child.”

Luke furrowed his brow. “I didn’t even know what the Force was before I met Ben.”

“Yet it guided you, and you trusted it.” Qui-Gon’s expression was warm, but not quite a smile. “How else did you fly so well through the canyons of this world? A talented pilot could do the same, yes, but not with your grace.”

Luke felt a lump in his throat. Biggs had called him ‘graceful’ once. It had been in a joking voice, as so many things had been when Biggs was talking. But his friend had truly been impressed. Luke missed Biggs. He missed a lot of people.

“I don’t want to let anyone else down,” Luke said suddenly. “I don’t want anyone else to die. Not if I can help it.”

“Then trust the Force.” Qui-Gon leaned closer. “The Living Force, Luke. Stay in this moment. Make it the only one that matters. The past has only lessons, and the future has both promise and uncertainty. _ Now _ is the only thing that is real. And the Living Force is here _ now. _ ”

Luke thought of how, just a few minutes before, his frustration with building his lightsaber had fed into feelings of anger, a thirst for vengeance. “Right now,” he admitted, “I feel the Dark Side inside of me.”

“It’s inside of us all.” Qui-Gon studied Luke’s face. “We cannot run or hide from what we feel. We must accept it and choose how we deal with it. The Sith choose to cloak themselves in the Dark Side, trying to snuff out the Light. Jedi do the same, on the other side.” He turned to study the hut again. “But neither light nor dark can ever be vanquished, not in the way that mortal bodies can be made to perish.”

“‘Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.’”

Qui-Gon flashed a genuine smile. “That definitely sounds like Yoda. I’d like to think that I helped inspire him in teaching that to you, when he and I spoke on Dagobah.”

“I don’t understand.”

Qui-Gon stood, moving around the small table in the middle of the room. “You will in time. For now, I urge you to trust your instincts. Obi-Wan taught you that. He was right. In this moment, in _ every _ moment, you make the final choice of how you move with and trust the Force. It can guide you, but you decide in what direction you move. Remember that, Luke.”

“Obi-Wan also tried to teach me to let go. Yoda did, too. How do I both accept what I feel and let go of it?”

Qui-Gon smiled. “That’s the truest test of a Jedi, one who is part of the Force. To accept a feeling is not the same as letting it make your choices. In accepting that you feel anger, you take its power from you, and then you can release it, clearing the way for the Force. It’s the same with fear. We never truly defeat it; we learn to accept it, then move past it, to do what must be done in the moment.”

Luke furrowed his brows. It didn’t quite agree with what Yoda had taught him, but it felt true, somehow. 

“What can you tell me about my father?”

Qui-Gon’s smile faded. “Only that I still believe that he can bring balance to the Force. I don’t think I really knew what that meant, but I felt it, and I spoke on it. Jedi and Sith, Light and Dark... it all feels so myopic now, in the face of the Living Force and the Cosmic Force.”

“The… what?”

“In time, you’ll learn.” Qui-Gon said. “For now, I will tell you that your father had a good heart, and was strong in the Force. He may yet have that heart. No matter what Obi-Wan or the Sith may have done to his body and his mind, the heart can only be touched by those we choose to have touch it. And I sense that your father’s heart is not as touched by the Dark Side as his master would believe. Or perhaps he himself knows.” The Jedi Master’s spirit sat back down. “Remember: trust your instincts in the moment. Your own heart is good, Luke. Trust it.”

Luke swallowed, and nodded. He thought of Leia, and Han, and Jabba’s palace, further along the edge of the Dune Sea. He looked down at his artificial hand, and then the new lightsaber. Qui-Gon followed his gaze and smiled.

“I think I can help you with this,” he said. “Listen carefully, and do as I say.”

* * *

“We do not wish to question your integrity,” said the protocol droid in Sy Bisti, standing next to the large dias, “but my master has asked for visual verification of the goods you have said to have delivered, rather than simply your word and a digital manifest.”

Mara held down her anger. She felt the slight twitch of the lightsaber clipped horizontally to the belt under the small of her back. She was dressed as a smuggler, one outfitted for moving through Tatooine’s desert, right down to a pair of goggles currently perched on top of the off-white scarf wrapped cowl-like around her head. It helped her blend in, as hair as red as hers was a rare sight on the sun-blasted world. She had no reason to suspect she was seen as anything but some common Outer Rim scum exchanging illicit goods for currency.

Yet the Dark Side seethed. How _ dare _ this overgrown slug question her integrity? She felt her teeth grinding as she took a deep breath. She leveled her gaze at the interpreter and kept her voice as calm as possible.  
  
“We are talking about several tons of Imperial goods,” she told the droid, speaking the same trade language, even if her Sy Bisti was a touch rusty. “Viable, valuable parts that survived the destruction of the Death Star and the battle of Hoth. Turbolaser parts, AT-AT armor and engines, blaster rifles — a great deal of military hardware your master would surely like to either add to bolster his might or sell to others at a serious markup. I guarantee the viability and quality of the goods. Some do need repairs, but the materials and effort required for those repairs are very minor compared to the benefits I offer. Tell your master that.”

She narrowed her eyes as the interpreter turned towards the creature dominating the room. Jabba the Hutt was as huge as he was disgusting. The smell was only barely covered by several sconces hanging around the throne room. Jabba’s chief attendant, a sniveling Twi’lek, went from corner to corner, keeping the scents fresh and ingratiating himself towards other guests. Mara tried not to show her utter contempt for needing to stand here, barely out of range of the Hutt’s fetid breath, feeling her stomach churn as bile and drool rolled out of the yawning canyon of the crime lord’s mouth and down the ill-kept and disgusting folds of skin and flab that defined most of his form. She also did her best to not let her eyes wander too much, as that would have been a further sign that she was hiding something, or at the very least not as confident as she sounded. Yet the slab of carbonite floating behind the dias kept drawing her attention. It was the reason she was here — a condemned and frozen man that, to her, was little more than bait.  
  
In all fairness, the suspicion was warranted. According to the scant records about her that were allowed to circulate in the circles of Outer Rim criminals, Mara Jade was a scavenger and occasional mercenary who operated out of Wild Space, who had worked in the past with reputable smuggler Talon Karrde and the bounty hunting duo 4-LOM and Zuckuss. Hence, when speaking with the likes of Jabba the Hutt, she spoke in the Sy Bisti trade language, rather than Galactic Basic. She would speak Basic with an accent if she needed to, hiding her Coruscant upbringing. In moments like this, she found herself longing for Coruscant. Its nobility and politicians were every bit as ruthless and unscrupulous as Jabba, but at least they dressed well and knew how to bathe. A scented bath and a clean dress would be heavenly…

She sighed quietly, bringing her attention to the droid, who was conversing with Jabba in Huttese. It was a more common trade language than Sy Bisti, which was mostly used in the Unknown Regions. Mara had made sure that Jabba’s protocol droid spoke it… and that Jabba did not.  
  
“She claims her wares are of good quality,” the droid told the Hutt. “Personally, I doubt it. Scavengers do not trade in quality goods, only what scraps they can find on old battlefields. Especially given the spotty nature of this Mara Jade’s reputation.”

“That’s it,” Mara said in Huttese. “I’ve had enough of your insults.”

The droid’s head whipped towards her, and Jabba made a sound like a clogged sewage drain. It might have meant he was intrigued. Or maybe it was indigestion.

“So you speak the great language of the Hutts,” Jabba said in his rolling, lackadaisical syllables. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

“I apologize, mighty Jabba,” Mara said, averting her eyes in what she hoped was a convincing gesture of humility. “I did not wish to presume to speak directly to your august personage in your native tongue. I felt you would reserve that privilege mostly for your more honored guests.”

“I appreciate your consideration,” the crime lord gurgled. “By all means, make your case.”

“M… Master!” The droid raised its arms in protest.

“Silence!” The Hutt glared at the droid. “Speak out of turn again and I shall have you disintegrated!”

The droid lowered its arms and stepped back. Jabba turned his huge, watery eyes back to Mara.

“Fearsome Jabba,” she said quietly, before looking him in the eyes again. “You know that I have worked with Talon Karrde. An honorable smuggler such as himself, who has never been in your debt and always delivers his goods on time and intact, would not allow me to do business with him - in any way, shape, or form - if I were not possessed of my own integrity and prowess.” She paused. “There are many to whom I could take this cargo. However, I know that you value your independence and reputation above all. You know the Empire would see you stamped out if they can muster the means and find an excuse. What better way to defy them and possibly secure your freedom when that day comes than with their own weapons?”

Jabba made a thoughtful sound. “You make an intriguing offer, Miss Jade,” he rumbled. “But would the presence of Imperial weaponry itself be interpreted as me breaking my deal with them, or at the very least insulting them?”

Mara batted her eyelashes and put her right foot on its toe as her hands went behind her back. She swayed back and forth a little bit. The body had a language all its own. Adding another layer of communication would further cover her true intent and add weight to whatever lies she wove. Plus, she knew Jabba’s gruesome appetites. It was an exploitable weakness, a weapon to be wielded as she saw fit. And as the Emperor’s most trusted assassin, nobody in the galaxy wielded weapons as precisely as she did. Now was the time to strike with this one.

“A Hutt so cunning as yourself can surely find ways to conceal the true nature of your defenses,” Mara told him, putting a bit of a purr into her voice. “Your opulent palace should be an extension of yourself, and you have an opportunity here to further show your...” She looked away, biting her lip, pretending to be shy. “...great dominance over all in your grasp.”

She didn’t have to look up to know Jabba was licking his chops. She could _ hear _ it. It took every fiber of her being not to grimace, let alone vomit. She would _ definitely _ need a bath after all of this. She resumed her previous pose, making a show of taking a moment as if to regain her composure after being overwhelmed by some sort of debauched attraction.

The reaction of the droid, if Mara was honest, made the show worth it.

“Master, I really must protest!” The droid again threw up its arms. “This is too dangerous! And this scavenger is—”

“She is recognizing true power and she appreciates me.” Jabba slowly turned his gaze to the droid. “And what did I say about speaking out of turn? Guards!”

A pair of Gamorreans stepped up, each seizing an arm of the droid. The droid squealed in protest as it was dragged away. Jabba turned his attention back to Mara.

“We shall have your goods secured, and delivered to the palace from your docking bay in Mos Eisley. Feel free to stay as my guest until then, or as long as you like. Perhaps you and I can speak more at length about more pleasurable subjects.” The Hutt laughed quietly, a low rolling _ ho ho ho _ that made Mara’s skin crawl. In spite of that, she smiled.

“I’d like nothing better,” she said.

_ I’d like nothing better than to strangle you with that chain you’re holding, _ she thought with barely contained rage, looking down the chain to the collar around the Twi’lek girl’s neck. _ That is an individual, not an object for you to use as a plaything, you… _

The lightsaber concealed under her travelling cape rattled again. It was almost as if the weapon had a will of its own. It wanted to leap into her hand, so they could carve the Hutt into smoldering chunks of rancid meat. 

As appealing as that idea was, however, it would compromise her mission.

Again, Mara breathed deeply, then turned and walked away. As she moved to slip through the crowd, she glanced towards the alcove where the carbonite slab rested on display.

“It’s too good for him.”

She turned to face the voice. An Iktotchi male stood following her former gaze at the alcove. 

“I knew Solo. He was a smuggler, like you. He used to walk around places like this as if he was better than anyone else. You’ve got the same thing going on. I don’t like it.”

Mara grimaced. “Hey.” It took a moment for the Iktotchi to make eye contact. “What’s your name?”

“Saar.”

“Well, Saar, if you talk to me in that way again I’ll split you in half. Think you can remember that?”

Saar sneered, but said nothing. She patted him on the shoulder and walked past him.

She had to be patient. She knew Jabba had told his guards not to allow Han Solo’s friend entry into the palace. She also knew that there was nothing the crime lord, powerful as he might be, could do to stop a Jedi.

Skywalker would be here soon. And then, she would fulfill her Emperor’s command.

* * *

The sudden presence of the Dark Side shocked her.

Her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright from the bed she’d been napping on in the palace. She reached out with her senses. The Dark Side of the Force… it had been used to choke two Gamorreans by… 

_ Skywalker. _

Who else could it be? He was finally arriving to rescue his friends. The trap was about to spring.

As she stood and gathered herself, something bothered her. Cutting off the breath of a living thing was not something a Jedi would do. A Jedi would employ stealth, mind tricks, or other means before employing a Force technique that inflicted that sort of pain. It was used for torture. It created fear and anger in the victim, a feedback loop of emotional power that further fueled the Dark Side. No Jedi in their right mind would invite such energy, and certainly not so casually as Skywalker just had.

And then there was the odd familiarity of his use of the Force. As if she’d been in the presence of such a Force user before.

She shook her head. She must have been more deeply asleep than she’d thought. Perhaps some dream she’d been having, now forgotten, was still clouding her perceptions. She made sure she was equipped, then produced IA-5 from her satchel.

“It’s showtime,” she said.

The droid activated and floated free of her hand, unfolding into their active configuration.

“Find and follow Skywalker,” Mara ordered. “Stay out of sight, and do not engage any sentients unless absolutely necessary.”

“I shall endeavour to follow your orders, Mistress Mara,” IA-5 replied. “Should I need to engage, am I at my discretion regarding what means to enjoy?”

Mara made a face as she slid a comlink earpiece into place. “Did you mean ‘employ’?”

“No,” IA-5 said brightly. “I thought the employment was implied, but enjoyment was not.”

Mara sighed. “Be quick and quiet. No torture.”

“Ah.” IA-5 sounded disappointed. “Very well.”

With that, the droid floated away, and used an articulated tool arm to open a ventilation shaft before disappearing. Mara made her way out of the room in a more conventional way. It wasn’t long before there was a soft chime in her ear. 

“I have located the quarry, Mistress.”

“Show me,” Mara said as she wound her way towards the throne room. Taking a small holo projector out of her satchel, the miniature blue holographic image of a cloaked figure sprang into existence. After a moment, she heard a quiet voice, one that was in no way menacing, even as he pulled back his hood and approached what was likely Jabba’s dias.

“You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookie to me.”

The Hutt laughed as Mara found a spiral staircase to descend towards the room. Maybe while he was distracted by the Hutt, by his friend’s carbonite prison, or the princess on Jabba’s chain… Maybe just one well-placed blaster shot… If she could conceal her presence…

“It’s your choice,” Skywalker was saying, “but I warn you not to underestimate my power.”

She stopped halfway down the confines of the staircase to look at the hologram. Wasn’t Skywalker just a farmboy from this backwater ball of rocks and sand? Hadn’t he only barely grasped the Force, just enough to land the miraculous shot that had destroyed the first Death Star? His posture, his words, his _ presence _ , spoke to not just his synergy with the Force, but reminded Mara of more than a few Jedi she’d encountered. Not only that, but if he had in fact choked those guards…

As she watched the hologram, Skywalker held out his hand, and a blaster flew into his grip. Mara’s eyes went wide. He turned the weapon towards Jabba. A cold chill ran down her spine. This was not a Jedi in the heat of battle, defending themselves. This was not a moment where foolish adherence to the Light Side filled a combatant with regret in needing to snuff out a life, even in defense of their own.

At that moment, all she felt in the core of this would-be Jedi, the feeling that trembled through the Force and seized her own heart, was a cool, detached, calculated intent to kill.

Then the hologram vanished. Mara tapped the projector then touched her earpiece.

“IA-5, what happened?”

“It appears that Skywalker was dropped into the rancor pit,” the droid’s voice replied. “Apparently, our host’s intent is to watch the Jedi get devoured.”

“Get a vantage point,” she said, moving more slowly down the stairs now. “Let’s join in the show.”

“With pleasure, Mistress.”

Mara had to smile. Perhaps Jabba would save her the trouble. If the rancor tore Skywalker limb from limb, she could slip out of the palace and be back on her way to Coruscant before anyone was the wiser. Then, she wouldn’t have to stick around for Jabba’s minions to report to him that the tons of cargo sitting in his docking bay were, in fact, so much Imperial scrap. It was true that she’d acquired it from battle sites such as Yavin and Hoth. She had simply left out the fact that those had been the _ original _ source of the materials. Her actual point of acquisition was an Imperial reclamation yard not far from Scarif, and the dockmaster had been all too happy to clear some space in his facility for something engineers could actually work with.

Emerging from the stairwell on the main level of the palace, Mara watched her holo projector as Luke Skywalker contended with the massive rancor. It was a predator unlike any other, with speed that belied its size. Yet, the Jedi kept himself one step ahead of it, if only just. He proved to be resourceful, using elements of the environment and previous victims to try and escape. Ultimately, he brought the heavy door of the holding pit down on the rancor’s neck. Mara sighed.

“Guess it’s the hard way after all,” she said. Luke again disappeared.

“He is being brought back to the throne room,” IA-5 reported. “Jabba wishes for him to be punished along with Captain Solo and the wookie.”

“Right,” Mara replied. Based on her research, the spectacle Jabba would have in mind likely involved the sarlacc in the Great Pit of Carkoon. Meaning moving his court and prisoners from his palace to a sail barge and skiffs. She headed for the garage where the vehicles were stored as she considered several plans. Did she kill Skywalker now, before they left the palace? Did she wait and see if the sarlacc would succeed where the rancor had failed? She even considered returning to her ship and destroying the lot of them from the air. It would be a shame to disrupt Imperial business with the Hutt, but there was also the fact that he’d never treat another female the way he’d treated the Twi’lek dancer or Leia Organa ever again.

She rounded a corner and had to stop short when a massive humanoid form approached the corner at the same time.

“Sorry,” she said, moving to one side. “Just passing through.”

“Hold on.” The voice belonged to Saar, the Iktotchi from Jabba’s throne room. He looked her up and down, black eyes reflecting the low light of the corridor. “You’re that Jade woman.”

“Yeah, we’ve met, a pleasure I’m sure,” she grumbled, trying again to move past him as he blocked her path. “Let me pass.”

“Not yet.” He reached up and touched the tip of one of the large, downward-curving horns that framed his face. “First, you’re going to tell me why you’re trying to swindle Jabba with that Imperial scrap.”

She looked up at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do.” He crossed his arms. “I’m just coming from Mos Eisley. I inspected your cargo. It’s burned-out turbolaser barrels, blasted TIE radiator panels, and AT-AT joint servos that don’t work. All sorts of useless, broken junk. So what’s the deal?”

Mara narrowed her eyes. She didn’t have time for this. As she was getting accosted, her quarry was getting hurried down other corridors towards the sail barge. She took a deep breath, stared at Saar, and tried to muster the Force.

“You _ will _ let me pass,” she said, gesturing subtly with her right hand as she held Saar’s gaze.

The Iktotchi blinked, then he began to sneer.

“I ran into a Jedi once,” he snarled. “Back when I was a quartermaster on a Seperatist destroyer. He tried to do the same thing to me, when I caught him sneaking around.” He stepped closer to Mara. “I blasted him out the airlock and made sure the Vulture droids on combat patrol fried him. I don’t got an airlock here, but I _ do _ have two good hands and a blaster. You ain’t leaving here alive.”

Mara clenched her jaw. Her knee came up hard and caught the male between his legs.

It wasn’t always a guarantee that such a move would have the intended effect. Some male-bodied near-humans did not have the genitalia of humans. Others didn’t have the same concentration of nerve endings.

Saar grunted hard, eyes squeezing shut for a moment as he stepped back. Mara was about to scramble past when one of his hands lashed out and grabbed her shoulder. His eyes were still closed and his face was twisted in pain, but somehow he had not been incapacitated.

“That…” He was gasping, but his voice was full of menace and intent. “... was… _ rude. _ ”

He turned to face her, eyes opening, and then he brought his massive forehead crashing down on hers.

Iktotchi had dense bones, and heads like battering rams. Mara had reared back just enough to keep her skull from getting fractured. The blow, however, rattled her brain, and she hit the floor. As she blinked stars away from her vision, she reached out with the Force. She gave her body over to it, knowing it would feel incoming threats before she did until she regained her senses. That was how she was able to roll away from the boot he was trying to bring down on her head. As she came up into a crouch, he drew a blaster, and she went for her lightsaber.

Magenta light chased shadows away as he fired. She deflected one bolt, then another, and closed the distance, still trying to push the pain in her head away enough to focus on the fight. Then, Saar backpedaled and started firing at the ceiling above Mara’s head. Stones and smoldering wiring started coming down on her, and she coughed as dust filled the air. 

“Ha!” His laugh was a short bark. “Didn’t you say you were gonna cut me in half? You’re a joke!”

Her opponent ran towards her and dropped to avoid her mid-body slash, kicking his legs out in a slide that caught her in the ankles. She felt something pop in one of her legs, and she screamed in frustration and pain. She thrust out her left hand, and the debris around her rose from the floor and shot across the corridor to strike Saar several times, even as he brought up his arms to defend himself. The Dark Side surged through her, propelling her body forward with almost impossible speed, and she drove her lightsaber through his belly. 

His eyes opened wide in shock, and he looked down at the scintillating magenta blade, then back to Mara’s face. She smirked at him, even as blood trickled down over one of her eyes from the wound his headbutt had opened in her scalp.

Before he could say or do anything else, she slashed upwards, both of her hands bringing the lightsaber vertical through his body and his head. His ruined corpse fell to the floor, and she stepped back and gasped, wiping blood from her face.

There was a porcine squeal. She looked up to see two Gamorreans barreling towards her, pikes held out in front of them in a charge. She had no idea if they were under orders from Jabba, or if Jabba was even still in the palace at this point. She didn’t care. All she knew was that they were between her and Skywalker.

It didn’t matter how many beings had to die, as long as Skywalker was one of them.

As she rushed to meet them, a scream ripping its way out of her mouth, there was a _ crack-crack-crack _ sound, the noise made by a small blaster. The guard on Mara’s left stumbled and then dropped, having been shot from behind, twice in its torso and once in its head. The other guard stumbled as they looked to see what had happened, and they did not turn back in time to see Mara before she took off their head. As the pig-person’s body hit the floor, she stopped and leaned against the wall, breathing hard, her head throbbing, her ankles quaking.

“Mistress Mara, you are in danger,” came IA-5’s voice, with a calm that would have frustrated her in other circumstances. “The palace is on high alert. Jabba has instructed his guards to capture you and bring you to him on his sail barge. You are to be added to those sentenced to die.”

Mara closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing. “That’ll get me closer to Skywalker,” she said. “That’s good enough for me.”

IA-5’s photo-receptor swiveled as it took in her physical state. “Mistress Mara, you are injured. Engaging a Jedi in combat at this time is inadvisable.”

“Shut up,” Mara snapped. “Just get me to… to…”

The pain in her head overwhelmed her. She sank to her knees with a grunt. She tried to get to her feet, and found her right leg was struggling to bear her weight. IA-5 floated down to eye level with her.

“Mistress Mara, we cannot stay here. We must withdraw for now. You cannot complete your mission for the Emperor if you are killed by a crime lord’s guards or thrown into the digestive system of a sarlacc. We must get you back to the _ Nightsister _ and tend to your wounds.”

Mara glared at the droid hovering in front of her. She knew they were right. She hated that they were right. She tried to get to her feet again, barely managing to stand. She needed to lean on the wall to do so.

“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “You win, IA-5. Let’s get out of here.”

“I’ve already begun preparing the ship remotely in anticipation of your decision,” IA-5 said brightly as they floated ahead of Mara, leading the way out. “I do hope you do not mind me taking such initiative, Mistress Mara.”

“Just shut up,” Mara grumbled. “The sooner we get there, the sooner I can kill all of them.”

“Is your mission not to kill one individual?”

“Details.”

* * *

By the time Mara had gotten to the _ Nightsister, _ IA-5 had injected her with painkillers twice. She knew that the droid kept a few doses of such drugs at the ready should one of their subjects come too close to dying. Now she was grateful for the droid’s knowledge of humanoid anatomy as it hovered around the gunship’s cabin, administering bacta swabs to her swollen ankle.

“Thankfully, your boots kept the swelling from becoming too great,” IA-5 was saying cheerfully. “Though I imagine that you were in a great deal of pain needing to walk on such a debilitated limb. Can you describe said pain? In detail, preferably.”

“What for?”

“I’m collating data on the nature of pain receptors for a medical study,” the droid replied. “I hope it will be of great use to others in my profession. The more efficiently one services a client, the more rapidly one acquires useful information.”

The droid resumed humming to themselves as Mara lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She’d failed. Skywalker and his friends had escaped after killing Jabba. Now they were in the wind. Her stint of semi-consciousness had kept her from extrapolating a potential course of the fleeing X-Wing and _ Millenium Falcon, _ and so she was left with bare guesswork. What could their next move be? 

She wasn’t going to find out laying on her bed. She moved to stand up, and IA-5 let out a sharp squawk of surprise. “Mistress Mara—!”

“Where is the Emperor now? I know you get constant updates from Coruscant.”

The droid paused. “I will establish a communications link, Mistress.”

Mara got to her feet, standing unsteadily on her damaged ankle. After a few moments, IA-5’s photo-receptor flickered as it changed modes. Blue light began to shine, and within the column, a miniature figure appeared. Mara blinked.

“Lord Vader?”

“Hand.” Even across the vast distance, Darth Vader’s mechanically assisted breathing seemed to fill the room. “Report.”

“Where is the Emperor?”

“Resting. The journey from Coruscant was long, and the battle that he has foreseen will require every measure of his strength. Whatever you have to say to him, you will say to me. Now. _ Report. _ ”

Mara sighed. “The target escaped.”

“This… target. Give me their name.”

“Skywalker, my lord.”

There was a long pause. “The Emperor’s command… was to _ kill Luke Skywalker _ .”

The tone of Vader’s voice made Mara’s blood run cold. “Y… Yes, my lord.”

Vader was silent again. After a moment, Mara felt the deck of the _ Nightsister _ pitch slightly. She could feel his anger. Even across the great expanse of space between them, it was a palpable thing. She could taste it in the air, like bile in the back of her throat. Her eyes narrowed at the hologram.

“Do you disapprove of our Master’s wishes, Lord Vader?”

“The Emperor will contact you directly with any changes to your orders.” The Sith Lord’s voice was flat, without affect. It was a barely contained attempt at control. “You are injured. Return to Coruscant for medical treatment. You are useless to the Emperor if you are wounded.”

The communication shut off, and IA-5’s photo-receptor flickered, as if the droid was blinking.

“Goodness,” they burbled. “That was a rather uncouth reaction on Lord Vader’s behalf.”

“I noticed.” Mara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay. Coruscant. The sooner we get there, the sooner we’ll be back on the hunt.”

“That’s the spirit, Mistress Mara!”

* * *

They were not on Coruscant long before it happened. A tremor in the Force. It woke Mara from a dead sleep, and she was suddenly running through the corridors of the Imperial Palace, IA-5 hot on her heels. 

“Is the _ Nightsister _ prepped?”

“I have kept the ship on a constant level of preparedness, Mistress Mara,” the droid said. “We have put to obtain clearance from Coruscant orbital control—”

“There’s no time. Plot a hyperspace course to Endor. Do it fast.” Mara was in the hangar and up the ramp before she knew it, and even the second she had to pause to ensure her droid was on board before shutting the door felt like an eternity. She was up at her command chair as fast as she was able. Deck officers ran out towards her, waving at her, their shouts lost as the engines of the VT-49 roared to life. 

“Mistress Mara, this is highly irregular—”

“Shut _ up _ , IA-5, there is _ no time!” _

She twisted her focus down to a fine point, looking out her viewports, up towards space. She reached out to the Force, to the mind of aircar drivers and starship pilots that might cross her path. Then, she jammed the accelerators forward. The _ Nightsister _ screamed out of the docking bay into the Coruscant pre-dawn morning.

Mara wove the gunship’s bulk through the traffic she had foreseen in her way. She did not have the grace of an accomplished starfighter pilot with years of training, but she was good enough to survive. She only barely miscalculated once, and a flicker of warning from the Force was all she had before nearly colliding with a light cruiser in low orbit. She passed the capital ship by centimeters, and didn’t look back.

“Mistress Mara, the _ Banestrix _ is hailing us, demanding identification and an explanation for the near-collision. They are launching fighters to intercept.”

Mara swore quietly and reached for her hyperdrive controls. “IA-5, I need that course to Endor. I need to get there _ now _ .”

“The course is nearly complete, but why—?”

“The Emperor is in danger. A battle’s going to break out there. Him, Vader, Skywalker, all in the same place… I don’t trust it. I need to be there.”

After a long moment, and another warbling chime indicating an incoming message from the confused and enraged commander of the _ Banestrix _ , IA-5 spoke up. “The course is set.”

Mara slammed the hyperspace levers. The starfield in front of her stretched into impossible lines, then collapsed into the tunnel of interstellar travel. She closed her eyes and let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. She turned and stood to look at her droid, feeling she needed to apologize.

It hit her like a blow, as if Saar had clubbed her forehead all over again. She went down to the deck like a puppet with its strings cut. She screamed, clutching her head. As her eyes squeezed shut, visions hit her in waves.

A Jedi Master, a purple lightsaber in his hand, standing over her — was it her? — saying something about control over the Senate and the courts before trying to land a killing blow, before a blue lightsaber moved to take the Jedi Master’s hand. Lightning appeared from nowhere, along with a mirthful and triumphant scream: 

**POWER! UNLIMITED POWER!**

Facing another Jedi, on Mustafar — Mara could recognize the rock formations in the distance — knowing that the Dark Side could prevail over any foe, no matter if they were holding the high ground or not. Then, leaping into the air, only for searing pain to lance through every single limb, landing near a lava flow that was hot, too hot, as the Jedi mournfully wailed about “the chosen one” to which the only reply was to crawl towards them, with the one remaining hand, biting out an anguished scream:

**I HATE YOU!**

The armored form of Darth Vader, leaning towards her, extending a hand that did not hold a weapon, not now that the lightsaber was gone, along with the hand that had been holding it, the other hand clutching the barest of grips to stand over a bottomless pit in a floating city. The Sith Lord revealing the truth, with four words that ripped through the heart — “I am your father” — and the response of a boy who was barely a man in a horrified scream:

**THAT’S NOT TRUE! THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE! NO!**

Torturing Skywalker with the power of the Dark Side, making it hurt, how _ dare _ this little nobody from _ nowhere _ try to _ steal MY apprentice _ , I will make you _ hurt _ and your weak father will _ see _ what it means to _ defy _ me, _ wait wait no put me down NO THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS WAIT WAIT MY HAND I CAN SENSE YOU LISTEN TO YOUR MASTER I AM SCREAMING _

** _YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!_ **


	3. Endor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our protagonist and her target meet for the first time and... well, feel free to put Duel of Fates on in the background because it is about to go DOWN.

"Mistress?"

The voice was distant. Everything was muted. Foggy. Mara felt the cool deck of the _Nightsister _under her face, and heard the hum of the engines, but it was all somewhere outside of her reality. What dominated her mind was the visions. The voices. The command of her master. Perhaps his last command.

"Mistress Mara, wake up."

There were so many questions in her mind. Who was this "chosen one"? Who was Darth Vader talking to about being their father? How did Luke Skywalker, of all people, push events into a place where Vader betrayed his master? Her head rang once again with the admonition of Darth Sidious to kill Luke Skywalker.

That's when IA-5 shocked her.

It was a momentary jab, and what Mara suspected was the lowest setting of the prod. Still, it was enough to slam her into full consciousness. With a choked scream, she jerked away from the droid and rolled into a crouch, instincts putting her into a combative stance and mindset. After a moment of breathing, her focus returned to her immediate surroundings and the hovering dark orb that was retracting an articulated arm.

"Ah. I calculated correctly. Welcome back."

"Did you _have _to do that?"

"Well, yes." The probe's voice was surprised, as if the question was rhetorical. "Repeatedly saying your name was having no effect of returning you to full consciousness. The next logical step was the use of external means. The lowest setting of electrical stimulation is the least invasive and—"

"Okay, okay." Mara held up a hand as she staggered to her feet. "I get it. Where are we?"

"The Endor system. The last known transmissions from the second Death Star originated here."

"Right." Mara slowly made her way towards the bridge of the _Nightsister_, piecing together what she could from_**YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER**_

She grabbed her head with one hand, bracing herself against the bulkhead with the other.

"Mistress? Do you require another shock?" IA-5 floated near her with their prod already extended, electricity arcing between the contacts on its tip.

"No. What kind of question is that?" She waved the droid away. "I just need a moment to get my thoughts together. Where are we exactly?"

"We are currently entering orbit around the forest moon of Endor. I took the liberty of bringing us out of hyperspace at a reasonable distance before activating our stealth systems and plotting our course."

"Ah. No wonder it's so hot in here." The _Nightsister _contained several systems that redirected the ambient heat and radiation of the vessel that showed it on the scopes of any vessels scanning for intruders. While visual scanning could still detect the gunship, more than one hunt of hers had ended abruptly when an ambush facilitated by the _Nightsister's _stealth mode was executed perfectly. The other drawback of the system was that ambient heat within the ship rose gradually the longer they remained in silent running, and eventually, she would have to either switch off or drop one of the few heat sinks contained on board, which could betray her position at long range.

She wiped her brow and climbed onto the bridge. What she saw seized her heart.

Wreckage of several capital ships, Imperial and Rebel alike, floated in front of her. Bulkheads, turbolaser turrets, and starfighter debris spun slowly through the dark, occasionally colliding with one another. Bodies were strewn through space, faces frozen in expressions of panic and despair. Beyond the graveyard was an even more chilling sight. Curved pieces of what Mara knew to be a doonium-dolovite composite that were kilometers in length danced to a silent dirge in honor of the Emperor. Mara's jaw tightened, and her hands clenched into fists.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

"Where are the rebels?"

"Currently, several Alliance vessels are in orbit on the other side of the moon," IA-5 reported. "I have calculated our orbital speed and path to avoid visual detection. We can remain in silent running for another hour before action must be taken to avoid overloading the reactor or cooking you alive."

"Find us a landing site."

IA-5 bobbed once in the air. It was their version of blinking in confusion. "Ah. Mistress?"

"You heard me. Find us a landing site." She strode to the controls of the ship and took it out of autopilot mode.

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"I have orders, IA-5. I'm going to carry them out."

"We will be easier to detect during our decent. The Rebel fleet's orbital speed will-"

"I don't want to hear another argument out of you, IA-5. I can deactivate you by remote before you can stop me."

The droid paused. Then: "Landing site located."

Throwing the throttle forward, Mara dove the _Nightsister _towards the surface of the moon. The memory of the Jedi's presence on Tatooine was something Mara was not likely to forget, and now, it allowed her to narrow her focus through the Force. Among the teeming life below her, the nauseating light of Luke Skywalker was like a beacon in the dark. And IA-5 had found a landing site just a handful of kilometers away. The Force moved in ways Mara didn't quite understand, but she wasn't in a mood or mentality to ask questions.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

It wasn't just her Emperor's last command. It was justice.

* * *

Night on Endor was a rich and warm time, full of the sounds and smells of life. Luke felt the Force in abundance around him. It was no wonder that the Empire, for all of its militaristic technology and training, had struggled to fight against the natural defenses of the world in the form of the Ewoks and their ingenuity and tenacity. The sounds of the Ewoks enjoying the evening meal, joined with conversations among the Rebels helping them rebuild what had been lost in the battle, was a comfort to Luke, after so much tension and bloodshed. Those sounds faded as he made his way down from the canopy and its settlements, by way of stairways laid into branches and ladders of rope that lead down, down, down. Further from the firelight and celebration, the sounds of chirping insects increased, and he could feel the wind waft around him as it rustled the leaves and undergrowth. When he reached the ground, he knelt and removed the glove over his left hand, letting his flesh and blood fingers sink into the loamy earth. He closed his eyes.

So much life. In so many forms. Plants growing and changing; animals hunting and mating and dying and being born. The Force flowed through him, and he gave it back to the world around him.

As he wandered alone on the forest floor, he thought of his father. There was an old urge to pat himself on the back for being right in his instincts, that within the cold metal shell of Darth Vader remained at least the cinder of a good man, someone who had tried in vain to overcome the clinging darkness that could plague any sentient in touch with the Force. To wield the sort of connection one could have with the universe was both a gift and a burden, as failing to resist the temptation to use the Force for selfish ends lead one down a dark path. As it had Palpatine, and his father.

He thought back to what Master Qui-Gon had told him on Tatooine, about the Living Force and the Cosmic Force. There was something there, a greater truth that eluded him. Obi-Wan and Yoda had only ever talked about the light and the dark, never the living and the cosmic. It seemed so different, and maybe it was wrong. Maybe Qui-Gon was off the point.

The chill that ran down Luke's spine had nothing to do with the Endor's humid weather. Luke paused and stretched out with his senses. The insects were silent. The wind was still. The smell of the earth had soured, and he tasted ash on the air, as if he was still standing next to his father's pyre. Death had followed him. He'd gone far from his sister, his friends, his allies. It was like the cave on Dagobah, only this was no test. Instead of being suffused with an old evil, something or someone had torn open the fabric of the living Force like a knife flaying skin. Incandescent anger and hatred filled the space around him. The Dark Side screamed silently in rage. 

He turned.

Facing him was a woman, tall and slender, an unlit lightsaber in her hand. She was dressed in a utilitarian garment, designed for stealth and ease of movement. The starlight emphasized her long red hair before the clouds closed in, plunging the small clearing into darkness.

"Who are you?" Luke's voice was more calm than he'd thought it would be. He knew he was afraid. Somewhere in his mind, he remembered Yoda telling him he would be. He didn't fight it; he saw it, accepted it, and chose to face what was ahead of him. "Why are you here?"

The magenta glow and angry _snap-hiss_ of her lightsaber was the only answer he got.

He took a step back. He reached out with the Force. He took a deep breath in through his nose, and pushed it out between his lips. He held up his left hand.

"Wait," he said quietly. "This isn't necessary. I don't want to fight."

"Then don't fight." Her voice was acidic, cold, and barely contained the cauldron of emotions he felt boiling inside of her. "Just die."

He unfastened his lightsaber from his belt with his right hand. Green light filled his half of the clearing.

_A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense_, echoed the voice of Yoda in Luke's mind, _never for attack._

For a moment, he closed his eyes. Through his outstretched hand, as gently as he could, he again let the Force guide his thoughts through the miasma of darkness around him, and he sought her mind. Not to control or deceive it, but simply to know it. For a moment, he touched her thoughts. There was the anger and aggression, of course. But what was past that? Sadness. Confusion. Loss. Longing. A compulsion that was not necessarily her own...

She screamed and the Dark Side propelled her towards him. He had not wanted a fight. But she was bringing it to him, with every fiber of her being.

_Never his mind on where he was! Hm? What he was doing!_

And so, the duel became everything.

* * *

How dare he. _How **dare **he!_

Their lightsabers met and clashed. Skywalker's movements were more precise, more focused, than Mara had anticipated. This farmboy, a mere few years into his life as a Jedi, was putting up a fight that reminded her of only a handful of others, most of them Jedi Masters. He gave ground and parried, responses and ripostes clearly meant as attempts to disarm or disable, while Mara's entire will was bent on ending him, on cutting him down, as quickly and viciously as possible.

Many other Jedi had met her aggression in kind, confident in their dueling abilities, intent on proving the moral superiority of their Light Side philosophy as expressed in their skills. Every single one of them had fallen to her power. Yet this backwater _nobody _was fending her off without any of that feeling. It only made her more angry.

_Fight me_, she growled in her mind.

He had tried to touch her thoughts first. Without prompting, without her anticipation or willingness, his mind had brushed against hers. At first it had struck her that maybe he'd try to cloud her mind and escape, or trick her into lowering her defenses. But he'd simply lingered, sensing her emotions. That incensed her more than any attempt at deception or evasion. Did he think he was somehow better than her in such an act? Better than all the other Jedi? Was he that arrogant?

She swung at him, her hips and shoulders torqued to take his torso from his waist, to cut him in half. He leaped to one side and she left a smoldering gouge in a tree trunk several meters in diameter. She followed through, and he knocked the blade of her lightsaber aside, eyes still fixed on hers. When she was parried again, she lashed out with a kick that hit him in the gut. Even as the wind was knocked from him, he moved with the momentum, gaining distance from her to recover and intercept her next incoming blow, aimed at taking one of his legs off from under him.

_Fight me. _Every passing moment was making her angrier.

The Jedi were fools, every single one of them. Pretending that peace was something achievable without conflict. It was an arrogant lie, a dangerous ignorance. It had been the death of them. It would be the death of Skywalker. And Mara was here to prove it.

Many of the Jedi Mara had fought and killed had tried to stay calm, to practice their methods of meditative peace in the midst of conflict. It had either blinded them to a surprise final blow or betrayed them to frustration that lead to a fatal mistake. Which would Skywalker be? Ignorant or a failure? Mara was determined to find out, and she laid into him harder and more aggressively with every strike.

Yet his calm did not waver. In his eyes, Mara saw not only the presence of mind of a Jedi Knight, but measures of compassion and a desire to understand. But he didn't _need_ to understand. There was nothing _to _understand, beyond him answering for his crimes and succumbing to his executioner. She came at him from one angle after another, and each time his green lightsaber was there, turning her blows aside or causing her to reverse and defend herself. And still he did not press an attack, did not act with aggression. 

"Fight me!" Her voice came out of her unbidden, her anger and hatred spilling out into the words. She pressed against him with the Force, and she felt raw energy crackle through the air. He slid back a few paces, pushed by her emotions. It was then that Skywalker pushed back, dirt and rocks kicked up between them. She closed in and swung low, and when he parried, she leaned towards him and smashed her forehead against his. He staggered back and, with a primal scream, she gripped her lightsaber in both hands and aimed for his heart. She was going to run him through. She was going to win. She was going to kill Luke Skywalker.

The Force seized her throat and she was stopped in her tracks.

Now bleeding from his forehead, Skywalker had his hand extended towards her, and the Force roiled and rumbled between them. This had only happened to her once before, and the way he was standing eerily reminded her of Darth Vader, the one time he too had used the Force in this way on her.

"Stop," was the only thing he said. And then, as if punched by a giant fist, she flew through the air and crashed through foliage and branches to land in the moist ground.

She blinked, trying to get to her feet, to dispel the lights that had exploded behind her eyes. She took a deep breath to make sure her throat was undamaged. Even as she blinked away the shock and pain, other lights appeared in the darkness. Artificial lights, accompanied by a low whine. Speeder bikes.

Her mind did a quick calculation. There were at least a half-dozen Rebel rescuers closing in. The chances of killing Skywalker before they intervened and killed or captured her were too slim. She screamed, and faced with the odds, she got to her feet and ran in the direction of the _Nightsister, _using the Force to lend speed to her movements and stealth to her presence. 

This wasn't over. It wouldn't be until he was dead. And she would be the one to kill him. But not tonight.

* * *

Luke sank to his knees when he heard her scream, and the almost oppressive feeling of her emotions began to fade. Blood dripped into his left eye, and he winced at the stinging sensation. He caught his breath, aware of the fact that he was sweating profusely.

He was also aware of the fact that he hadn't been able to stop the Dark Side from surging up inside of him and lashing out at the woman.

Past the pain and the exhaustion, he felt shame. He knew he walked a fine line between the teachings of his masters and the fact of his connection to one of the greatest evils the galaxy had ever known. He had used every tool at his disposal, even those of the Dark Side, to infiltrate Jabba's palace and rescue his friends. This time, he had been fighting for his life. But that was no excuse for him to give in to his fear and use the Force to harm and to subjugate. Even if that was what his father would have done.

"Commander Skywalker!" The voice belonged to one of the Rebel commandos who had helped Han and Leia take down the shield generator. Half a dozen speeder bikes slowed to hover near him, using small spotlights to illuminate the clearing. "The Princess sent us out to find you. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Luke said, getting slowly to his feet. "Contact Commander Antilles to get Red Squadron in the air. There's an Imperial ship that's going to try and escape the moon. Bring it down and capture the pilot alive, if possible."

"Yes, sir!" The lead commando activated his comlink as another helped Luke onto their speeder bike.

Even as they started back towards the others, Luke knew that, whomever the woman was, she was going to escape. The Force was strong with her, and there was a lot of fuel to make it even stronger. A great deal had been stolen from her, perhaps more than she'd realized. As the heat of battle and the fear and frustration faded, he felt a sense of compassion towards her, of sympathy. He remembered the smell of his aunt and uncle's bodies smoldering under Tatooine's twin suns, the shock and terror at his father's revelation, and the upwelling of anger merely being in the presence of Palpatine. He knew what it was to lose. He knew what it was to hate.

The concern of his sister was something he experienced numbly as he looked for a place to rest. He settled in a small hut a young Ewok vacated. He stood for a moment among the gentle torchlight and the soft sounds of friends and family, simply trying to breathe.

That's when he felt her presence again.

He turned and saw her in the hut. She was facing him, shock and confusion on her face. In the firelight, in the quiet, he was struck by her beauty, and he felt her pain more keenly now than he had on the forest floor. Her face went slack and her green eyes widened, and he saw in her a vulnerability. He heard something distantly in the back of his mind, a dark impulse to exploit that weakness.

No. The calm defiance that had caused him to toss away his lightsaber in the face of the Emperor washed over him like a cleansing cascade. He was a Jedi, like his father, his _true _father, had been before him. That uncertainty in her face was an opportunity, for certain, but not for him to be victorious in battle. It was an opportunity to give her a choice. A choice between anger and peace; a choice between death and life.

His left hand trembled as he removed his glove and reached out to her.

She leaped at him, lightsaber in hand, screaming, and swung with all her might to cut him down.

Instinct caused him to stagger back, to reach up and feel the wound, but nothing was there. He was whole. He looked up and she was gone.

He was left with so many questions. He needed answers. And as he calmed his thundering heart, he slowly drew together a plan to find them.

_Many of the truths we cling to,_ Obi-Wan's voice echoed in his mind, _depend greatly on our own point of view._

Whatever this woman's truth was, or her point of view, he wouldn't be able to find his own until he took it upon himself to learn more about his own. And maybe if he could do that, he could find a way to help her. The way a Jedi would.

* * *

"We are clear of the moon's gravity well," IA-5 reported as the X-Wings pursued the _Nightsister_. Mara seethed as she jerked the controls into another evasive roll. "Our escape route is calculated."

She slammed the hyperspace levers into activation. The stars stretched and with a jolt of power, the gunship jumped into hyperspace. She rose from the command chair as she jabbed the autopilot controls.

"I'm going to the cabin," she told the droid, "and I do _not _want to be disturbed."

"Yes, Mistress." The voice of the droid was quiet, unobtrusive. She wondered if droids actually felt fear. IA-5 certainly acted that way, floating away to give her a fair amount of distance as they watched her descend the ladder to the ship's lower deck. She stalked forward and closed the cabin door behind her. 

She stood in her cabin, staring out the octagonal forward window at the corridor of hyperspace, and clenched her fists. She took shuddering breaths, feeling the soreness of her muscles and the fading burning in her throat. So close. She had been _so close._

The _Nightsister _burst out of hyperspace in the middle of nowhere. IA-5 had laid out the escape vector to put her in deep space, near a heavy brown dwarf far from the shipping lanes. The weak gravitational pull of the dying star combined with its low relative heat would make it difficult for any pursuers to find her, and it wouldn't pull any ship out of hyperspace involuntarily. She glared at the dark purple striations of the star and felt her nails biting into her palms.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

The memory of the duel gnawed at her. She'd been reckless, not focused enough on the battle itself. She wouldn't make the same mistake again. She wouldn't underestimate his relative lack of experience. Next time, she'd kill him. She would fulfill her destiny and avenge her Emperor.

She caught her breath when she felt the sudden presence in the cabin.

She turned and saw him standing there. Right there, by the door. The cool, pale lights of the cabin seemed to be absorbed by his black clothing. His eyes contradicted his attire in their brightness. Something was drawing her to him, and it was something apart from her compulsion, her master's command. When was the last time someone had looked at her with that sort of sympathy, this communication of compassion, a desire to simply listen and to learn? He didn't see the Emperor's Hand, the deadly assassin. He saw Mara Jade, the person. And he wanted to know her. It was written all over his face.

And, for a moment, she felt that she wanted to know him, too.

He removed the glove from his left hand, not breaking his eye contact, and he reached for her. Her hand twitched, and her arm began to rise, to reach back.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

Instinct seized her. Rage welled up and overwhelmed her, like a dark riptide yanking her away from herself. Her lightsaber was in suddenly her hand, the Dark Side shoving her in his direction, and she swung downward with a diagonal slash, powered by her scream, cutting him from the nape of his neck to the opposite hipbone.

She looked up from the completion of her execution, and he was gone. Nothing there. Not a trace.

She dropped her lightsaber from numb fingers and sank to her knees. She held her face in her hands and she wept. It was too much to feel, too confusing and too raw, and she broke down into quiet, racking sobs.

After a length of time she didn't bother to quantify, she raised her aching face and turned back to the window. The star floated in front of her, the corpse of something that had given light to the universe, now sputtering out and growing cold.

She needed answers. She needed something more than a simple command. And there was only one place in the galaxy she knew for sure she could find what she was looking for.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

"Yes," she said quietly, her voice trembling. "Yes, I will."

Why, she wondered, was she suddenly feeling that she needed to _work_ to believe that?


	4. Coruscant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Battle of Endor behind him, and the Empire on the run, Luke Skywalker braves the still-occupied capital world to track down vital information from the Jedi relics held in the vaults of the Imperial Palace. And the Emperor's Hand is hot on his heels...

"Wow. That's... a lot of ships."

Luke turned to the person behind the controls of the Action VI bulk freighter that was making its ponderous way closer and closer to an orbit around Coruscant. She was leaning towards the viewport, brushing a lock of long dark hair away from her eyes, trying to take in the array of warships surrounding the planet.

"I mean... I've seen _actual _blockades with fewer ships. Just... _wow._"

Chelli Aphra wasn't someone who had any trouble expressing herself. Much like Han and Leia, the 'rogue archaeologist' had a propensity for speaking her mind. Often. Sometimes loudly. Others might have found it annoying. For Luke, it reminded him of friends from his youth.

"You should have seen Endor," Luke said, giving her a wry smile. "There were a lot of ships there, too."

Aphra shuddered. "No, thanks. From the sound of things, I'm much better off waiting a while for things to cool off before I go there. Like, years. If ever."

"I don't think I'm going back any time soon, either." Luke's thoughts turned to the red-haired woman who'd tried to kill him. It had been difficult not to think about the situation with her. He leaned back in the co-pilot's seat and closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he had encountered someone so emotionally eruptive. She had received some training in channeling those emotions, it was true. Much like Darth Vader, so many of the feelings that took the form of lightsaber strikes and Force-enhanced movements were roiling around something that had been shoved deep down to a semi-conscious or perhaps even subconscious level. Darth Vader had so completely subsumed the mind and heart of Anakin Skywalker that a father's love for his son had taken the form of obsessive pursuit as a means to an end, that end being to overthrow the Emperor.

So what was...?

"Hey, uh, Luke?" Aphra's voice was hesitant. "Why me?"

Luke opened one eye to look over at Aphra. "What?"

"There have got to be hundreds if not thousands of people who can do this. Fly you past an ISB-controlled planetary defense force to the heart of Coruscant so you can hunt up some ancient Jedi records or something. And the last time we saw each other, you told me to stay the hell away from you. So. Why me?"

Luke sat up and faced her. "First of all, you have the credentials to give a good reason for going to not just Coruscant, but the Imperial Palace."

Aphra made a face. "Sure hope nobody in those ships out there knows that the 'Mid-Rim Imperial Preservation Society' is something I made up a few days ago." She jerked her chin towards the various light cruisers and frigates patrolling the planet's orbital approaches.

"Second, other smugglers or slicers would want credits, whereas I know you're as curious as I am about the sorts of things Palpatine kept locked in his palace."

This time, she turned to face him with an expression that was equal parts dismay and disgust. "Stop reading me like some kind of beautiful sarcastic book, farm boy."

"And third," Luke said, looking her in the eyes with a grave expression, "you owe me."

Aphra blinked, then looked down and turned back to the viewport. Luke hesitated, wondering if he'd overstepped. He had wanted to give as good as he would get from Aphra, in terms of banter and barbs. Maybe reminding her of how she'd betrayed him years ago was too far. He took a breath to apologize. Aphra beat him to it.

"I'm sorry."

He paused. Then, he waited.

"Look, I could say something about how I knew you could get yourself out of that situation with the creepy Queen of Ktath'atn and her desire to... well, eat you, I guess." She took a deep breath and blew it out with puffed cheeks. "But I'd be lying. I got something out of it and left you behind because I didn't care. At least, I thought I didn't. But every step I took away from that place where I left you... well, it hurt. Every one. I tried to ignore it, but I went back and..."

"It was years ago, Aphra. A lot's changed."

"I haven't." She turned towards him again. "I'm still only in this for myself. I still..."

"Maybe you are," Luke agreed. "And maybe you'll try to leave me behind again, surrounded by Imperial forces who'd like nothing better than to tear apart the last Jedi. But I don't think you will. If you really feel sorry for what you did to me back then, here's your chance to make up for it. You get to make different choices. Not everybody gets that chance."

Aphra seemed to consider that. Before she could respond, the comm of the ship chimed.

"Attention approaching freighter," came the officious Imperial voice. "This is the ISB command cruiser _Banestrix._ You are about to enter a restricted orbital area. Identify yourself."

With a nod from Luke, Aphra activated the comm. "This is the freighter _K'v'narro _on contract from the Mid-Rim Imperial Preservation Society. We have permission from the estate of Emperor Palpatine to collect personal effects of the Emperor from storage. Transmitting credentials package now."

She muted their outgoing transmitter and turned to Luke. "I'm really not sure if they're going to buy this. I mean, who's going to believe that they want to start a Palpatine museum?"

"The people I spoke to on Naboo assured me they're accredited enough to provide at least passable patronage information. And _you _told me that there's enough 'archaeological doctorate nonsense' that only another archaeologist would be able to sense a problem. Have a little faith."

She raised an eyebrow. "Here I thought faith was _your _department."

Luke smiled. Now that they were in the middle of things, in some form of danger, Aphra was acting like how he remembered her from years ago on Ktath'atn - confidence was blossoming in her. He could feel it. He had felt her guilt, too, the moment she'd arrived with the freighter and they'd made their plans and preparations. But that was fading, at least set aside, to focus on the task at hand... and how much she enjoyed life on the edge.

"Attention _K'v'narro," _said the voice of the _Banestrix _operator. "Your credentials have been reviewed and verified as authentic. Please be aware that you will need to present them again in person to the ISB security detail surrounding the Imperial Palace. You will be under armed escort at all times. Signal your comprehension."

"Buddy, I'm an archaeologist, I comprehend _quite a bit_, thanks." Her tone of voice changed to one of saccharine condescension. "Now, be a dear and make sure none of those big, bad rebels come looking for little old us, mm-kay? We're _ever _so helpless, you see. Thanks, sweetie." She keyed off and took the freighter in to a steeper descent. Luke grimaced.

"Was that necessary?"

"Nope." Aphra was grinning. "Sure made _me _feel better, though."

Luke leaned back and sighed. "I guess you _haven't_ changed that much."

"Told ya, farm boy."

He didn't protest her calling him that. Not when he saw through the upper part of the ship's large viewport. It was a flotilla of Star Destroyers, at least half a dozen of them, jumping out of hyperspace. One of them had a stylized engraving along its ventral hull, depicting the silhouette of a winged beast with extended feline paws. It wasn't the art, though, that caught Luke's attention.

There, on that ship, he felt her. The seething cauldron of gnawing, confused, eruptive emotion. Even as the heat of reentry began to obscure their view of the ships in orbit, Luke could feel it as plain as the suns on Tatooine.

"We have to hurry."

Aphra glanced at him. "That sounds like a 'disturbance in the Force' sort of 'we have to hurry.'"

"You're not wrong."

She turned back to the controls, adjusting their approach. "You're lucky I like to live dangerously, Skywalker."

* * *

_Skywalker._

Mara stood on the bridge of the _Manticore, _her arms crossed, glaring out at Coruscant as it seemed to lunge at the fleet when they emerged from hyperspace. Ever since the encounter on Endor, her thoughts had been occupied with little else. Especially with that odd vision she'd had of him. It meant something, she was sure of it. Her limited experience in such permutations of the Force prevented her from knowing what it was. Somewhere in that palace on the planet below, hidden even from her various explorations, were the answers she was looking for. Answers the Emperor had kept in secret for her entire life.

_Damn the Emperor for not teaching me more! Damn him!_

She blinked. Where had _that_ come from?

** _YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER._ **

"I know," she growled through gritted teeth. "I _know_."

"Lady Jade," Grand Admiral Faro said as she approached. "Your ship is prepared, and you can depart at any time."

"I need to ask you something, Grand Admiral." Mara turned to look at the other woman. "In private."

Faro blinked, then gestured towards the aft bridge turbolift. "My office."

Mara barely acknowledged the pair of stormtroopers flanking the turbolift doors, each with a pauldron depicting the stylized claw-marks that indicated their loyalty to Grand Admiral Faro and the _Manticore. _Mara knew it was carrying on the tradition established by Faro's former commander, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and his command ship the _Chimaera_, lost somewhere in the Unknown Regions. Or destroyed.

When they arrived at Faro's office, the naval officer turned. "What is it you want to know, Lady Jade?"

"Did you ever resent Thrawn?"

Faro blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"You were held back from advancement on at least one occasion," Mara said. "I'll admit I didn't read your entire file. I wanted to know what sort of mentorship you had under someone like Mitth'raw'nuruodo. He seemed to be deliberately obtuse and unnecessarily enigmatic." She tried not to convey how much that reminded her of her own mentor, and how much it was starting to annoy her. "It had to be frustrating for you."

Faro seemed unsure of the subject being brought up, but gathered herself and nodded. "To be honest... yes, it could be frustrating. I did find myself, at times, questioning his mentality and methods. But the longer I worked with him, the more I realized he was not operating at he was simply to hold power over me, or Commander Vanto, or anybody else. He didn't feel he needed to prove anything to anyone, really. He just... _knew _how skilled and smart he was, or could be. He didn't win every engagement, but he was always learning, and what he learned he tried to teach us."

Mara studied the other woman. Faro gathered her thoughts and continued, looking out the viewport.

"His mind was always in motion. It wasn't always easy to keep up. And that could be frustrating. But when I _did _catch up, it made me feel proud. He always acted like he'd known all along that I could do it. It's a rare thing in the Empire. So many officers run around concerned only with their own agendas, their own abilities. Thrawn cultivated the best in those around him, because it meant we worked better together in serving the Empire." Faro took a deep breath. "His loss was a terrible blow."

"Would you avenge him, if you could?"

"Maybe. But he isn't dead. He's out there, somewhere. I'm sure of it." Faro closed her eyes. "I can't use the Force, but... I just _know _it. I'd go looking for him, were it not for my duty."

Mara turned the thoughts over in her mind. Here she had expected the sort of dynamic Vader had shown towards his admirals, or even that Palpatine had showed to her. Yet, when Faro spoke of Thrawn, it was in nothing but respect, not born out of fear or frustration, but legitimate admiration and understanding that had been built over years. Palpatine, on the other hand...  
  
_**YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.**_

Mara closed her eyes, and breathed in and out. She could feel Faro looking at her.

"You wanted to know, Grand Admiral, who I am and what my duties are." She opened her eyes to study the other woman. "I am the Emperor's Hand. I hunted down Jedi traitors for him. As you know, there is only one Jedi left in the galaxy. And he is on Coruscant right now."

Faro's expression turned to shock. "We have to alert the ISB immediately!"

"No." Mara worked to maintain her calm. "We need to be more clever. He's proven to be able to evade a brute force approach on more than one occasion." She paused. "I need your help, Admiral. We need to trap him."

Faro looked out the viewport at the world below them. There was a long moment of silence. Then, she turned to face Mara.

"I have a plan, Lady Jade." She touched a control on her desk, and a hologram of Coruscant appeared. With another touch, she zoomed in on the Imperial Palace. "If your quarry came here, of all places, it had to be for a reason, and I suspect that reason has something to do with the former Jedi temple. That is where we should begin."

Mara smiled and approached the desk, her arms crossed. "I'm listening..."

* * *

"We don't need an escort."

"You don't need an escort," the ISB officer echoed. Aphra blinked, watching Luke use the Force to trick the minds of the Imperials.

"We have full access to the Imperial Palace."

"You have full access to the Imperial Palace."

"We can go about our business."

"You can go about your business."

Luke had to fight a smile. _Obi-wan would be proud of me. _"Welcome to Coruscant."

"Welcome to Coruscant." The white-uniformed officer gestured towards the Imperial Palace. With a nod, Luke walked past him.

"Thanks, buddy," Aphra added, patting the officer on the arm as she moved to keep up with Skywalker. She waited about a dozen paces before she spoke again.

"We should work together more often. That was incredible. I mean, it wasn't just him. He has six stormtroopers with him! _Six!_ And not a single one blinked an eye! ... Not that we could tell. Helmets, and all."

"Stormtroopers don't exactly have the strongest minds," Luke replied as they walked up the steps to the palace entrance. "Especially since we played along between here and the landing pad. Speaking of which..."

"Way ahead of you, farm boy." She held up a data pad and waggled it. "While you were winning hearts and minds back there, I palmed one of the officer's data cylinders. Right now, I'm making sure we have a free path between here and the ship. Long as we don't trip any alarms, we can leave any time we like."

"We'll have to be careful. Once we're inside, it's likely there will be some form of trap waiting for us."

"You sound pretty certain of that."

"I know Palpatine." Luke's face was grim. "He'd have wanted to guard any Jedi information that was too valuable to be outright destroyed. It's probably buried somewhere deep within the palace."

"That definitely says 'traps' to me. And secret doors!" Aphra grinned. "Lucky for you, that's something of a specialty of mine. I'll lead the way." With that, she trotted ahead. 

"Just remember," he said as he followed her, "you're not taking any Jedi relics. Just things of value from Naboo, or..."

"Yeah, yeah, I won't sully my hands with your sacred whatsit, we shook on it, blah blah blah."

Luke regarded her with a smile. He remembered all those years ago, when they had first worked together. The way she'd abandoned him to a grisly fate stung far less now than it had back then, and he could definitely feel a change inside of her. She'd experienced trials and losses all her own, and it had shaped her, much as him finding his father only to lose him again had shaped him.

Walking through the corridors of the palace, once the focal gathering place of the Jedi, Luke could feel echoes of the past. He caught snatches of conversation, the movement of the Force... and pain. He felt his father's presence. Not Darth Vader's, at least not as he had in the cave on Dagobah. He felt a tortured, grieving sensation, the feeling of someone struggling to come to grips with a terrible mistake. 

"Psssst!" Doctor Aphra's voice was a low hiss. "Hey! Over here!"

Luke shook his head and picked up his pace. Aphra touched the frame of a portrait of Palpatine that depicted him in his Senatorial days, smiling like a kindly old grandfather. The image was more disturbing to Luke than anything the gnarled, twisted Emperor had said to him on the Death Star. After a moment, her tongue planted on her upper lip, Aphra made a satisfied noise and there was a soft click. The portrait, frame and all, slid upwards, revealing a narrow doorway and dark spiral stairs leading downwards.

Aphra gestured grandly. "After you, o Master of Jedis."

Luke smiled. At least her attitude and levity was counter-balancing the echoes his father had left behind. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to do this alone.

* * *

Mara was simultaneously pleased and annoyed that the vulnerabilities in the Palace she'd pointed out to the Emperor remained as they had almost a year ago.

While it annoyed her that he had apparently done nothing with the information she'd brought him, it meant she could slip into the Palace unnoticed and unhindered. That was key to the plan. The less attention was drawn to Skywalker before the time was right, the more adroitly she and Faro could spring their trap. So rather than rounding up a cadre of ISB officers or deathtroopers to do a room-by-room search for the Jedi, Mara relied on stealth and the Force to help her find her quarry, as she had so many times before.

This time, when she entered the shaft for the lift, she climbed down instead of up. The Palace was much quieter now, and this particular lift was out of service. It lead all the way down to the sub-basement, which was surely Skywalker's destination. Skywalker would open the way for her, and in addition to trapping him, she would find the answers she was looking for.

Before she got there, however, something cold and mournful seized her heart in its chest, and she almost lost her handhold and fell.

Shaking off the sudden daze, she moved through the service door to find out exactly where she was. It was one of the lower floors of the palace, in an unused wing that had been sealed off before Mara had been brought to the Emperor. Lightsaber in hand, unlit and silent, she crept through the dark and cobwebbed corridors. Eventually, her steps brought her to circular room with large windows. It had not been used in years, judging by the layer of dust covering the floor. As she looked around, she saw several small spheres resting along the edge of the room. Practice remotes. Her eyes narrowed. What was this room?

"It was a mistake to come here."

Mara whirled, lightsaber up and ignited. By its light, she saw a pale silhouette, a ghost. The specter was tall, dressed in the robes of a Jedi, with long hair that fell to his shoulders and a scar by his right eye. He looked at Mara with sympathy.

"It was a mistake for me, all those years ago. And it's a mistake for you now."

Mara wanted to demand who this Jedi ghost was, but as the sun outside emerged from behind the clouds, an answer was shown to her. The light bathed the room in a faded ocher as it shone through the windows that had gone somewhat yellow and opaque with age. As it fell onto the ghost, a shadow appeared on the floor. A long shadow. In a shape Mara recognized, of a cloaked figure with an unmistakable helmet...

The sound of mechanically assisted breathing filled the room for a blood-chilling moment.

Mara stepped back, her lightsaber extinguishing almost of its own accord. She stared at the ghost.

"You..."

The ghost looked down at his own form. Then, he lifted his eyes to her.

"Hand," he said quietly. Mara felt her breath catch in her throat just as sure as if Vader, or Skywalker, had seized her with the Force. "You don't have to do this."

"You're a trick." Mara tried to find her voice, her courage. "You're a test. He left you here to test me."

The figure shook his head. "I'm not here to test you, or to judge you. I just want you to listen to me. I've been where you are. Before I became everything I'd sworn to defeat, before my choices betrayed the ideals I wanted to follow."

There was another sound of respiration, but more distant now. "Tell me who you are. Declare yourself."

"Before I was Darth Vader... they called me Anakin Skywalker."

Mara shook her head slowly. Her mind reeled. Her heart pounded in her eyes. "That's not true. That's impossible."

"Do you remember when you told Vader that the Emperor's command was to kill Luke Skywalker? Do you remember the rage, the disbelief?" Anakin closed his eyes. "I could make the galaxy shake in my anger. At least, that's how powerful it made me feel. Even before I became that creature of hate."

"No." Mara took a step back. "I don't believe it."

Anakin's eyes opened and, softly, he smiled a little. "Yoda would say 'That is why you fail.' You focus so much on the expectations of a dead Sith Lord, and not enough on who you are and who you can choose to be." His face became grim, slowly, as he spoke. "Palpatine didn't offer choices. Not real ones. Not ones he couldn't control. And when he found you, when he set about raising you and training you... what choice did he give you, Mara Jade?"

"He gave me everything I am," Mara shot back. "He made me powerful. He trusted me. He _loved _me." Even as she spoke, bile rose in the back of her throat. A quiet voice in her head told her she was tasting lies. Tears stung her eyes. "I served him. I killed for him. I did my duty, obeyed his commands. I did everything he ever asked of me. I worked to make the galaxy a place of peace and order."

"I told myself the same thing." Anakin looked at Mara sadly. "In the end, I was lying to myself. I made a choice, and that choice lead to the death of the Jedi, of all of the younglings who'd stood in this room... my wife... my friend... and it almost killed my son."

Mara spun, hearing other voices.

_Master Skywalker, there are too many of them! What should we do? _The voice of a child, followed by the ignition of a lightsaber. And screams.

_Anakin... _It was a pleading voice, a woman's voice. _You're breaking my heart..._

_If you strike me down, _said another voice, the voice of an old man facing death, _I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine._

And then, most damning of all, she heard _his _voice.

_Father... please..._

Eyes wide, breath short, Mara stared at the ghost of Anakin Skywalker. He looked like a personification of grief.

"Turn back," he said to her, his voice quiet and raw with emotion. "You have a choice, no matter what the Emperor told you. You get to choose what happens next."

The voices faded. Mara looked down at the lightsaber in her hand. When she looked up, she was alone in the room.

"Wait." She looked around and she shouted. "Wait! Come back! Please, I...!"

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

The voice was so powerful, the command so insistent, Mara clutched her head and fell to her knees. The other voices, the screams and pleas and last words, returned and surged all around her, and she screamed.

* * *

Luke looked up from the shelf of objects in the dark room. Aphra had found a vault in a sub-basement, and was working on the lock. The shelf had a few mementos of Palpatine's time on Naboo. There wasn't anything of note for him, but Aphra had mentioned they had cultural value to the people of Palpatine's homeworld, and she intended to take them on the way out. As she knelt by the vault's controls, going at an exposed panel with a variety of tools, Luke followed his instincts and stepped out into the unlit corridor beyond.

"Don't go wandering off," Aphra said over her shoulder. "I've almost got this."

Luke didn't answer. The few lights along the edges of the floor, spaced out every six meters or so, barely illuminated the hallway. He took a few steps away from the antechamber door, and looked around.

"I feel... pain."

He said the words into the empty air, yet he knew he had been heard.

"I met your father at the same time Obi-Wan did."

Luke looked to his left, and saw Qui-Gon Jinn standing beside him, his hands in the sleeves of his Jedi robes as he regarded the last living Jedi.

"Did you know, at the time, what he would become?"

"No," Qui-Gon said. "I knew the Force was strong with him. I knew he was a boy of intense emotion. And I knew he had a destiny before him. My instincts told me he could change the course of history." He paused, and his smile was rueful. "I had no idea how right I was, nor in what way."

Luke turned his eyes upwards, as if he could see through the floors between him and the source of the pain he felt. "She's here."

"Yes. But she isn't alone. Can you feel it?"

Luke closed his eyes. He stretched out with the Force. And what he found there...

"...Father."

Qui-Gon's smile was a tangible thing. "You're starting to feel it, Luke. The Cosmic Force. The energy that connects us all beyond the confines of the living, physical world. A Jedi who is strongly allied with the Force can transcend the Living Force, entering the Cosmic. It's how you and I are speaking now. I taught Yoda, and Yoda taught Obi-Wan. Your father's strength in the Force lead him to us after you freed him of the prison that was Darth Vader." The Jedi Master paused. "_You _did that, Luke. And yet your journey has just begun."

"I just wanted to bring him back," Luke said quietly. He wiped a tear from his face. He wasn't sure when he'd shed it. "I believed so much in the good in him."

"And what of this woman? This assassin?" Qui-Gon's tone had turned grim. "She's far more a creature of the Dark Side than Anakin ever was. You must be cautious, Luke."

"I know."

Qui-Gon looked at Luke for a long moment, and slowly, began to smile.

"Hey, farm boy!" Aphra's voice floated out towards Luke. "We're in!"

Luke headed back towards the vault, not looking back. He walked around the corner as Aphra lead them inside, holding a light aloft with one hand. There wasn't much inside — a few lightsaber hilts, some folded robes, the mask of a Jedi Temple Guard, a small device that resembled a compass. However, across from the open door, Luke saw what he was looking for. Slowly, with a reverent hand, he reached out and picked up one of the two ancient books.

"I've... I've never seen one of those in person before," Aphra said quietly. Her voice was oddly respectful. "I didn't think any of the sacred Jedi texts still existed. You'd have figured good old Palps would have fed them all to a shredder"

"He was closer in his methodology and philosophy to the Jedi than he'd ever admit," Luke replied, gently paging through one of the texts. "I'm not sure if these are _the _sacred Jedi texts. Maybe they're copies. Later editions. Something else." He wondered how much Palpatine had studied them. He wasn't very adept in the language in which the text had been written. Maybe Threepio could help. He could catch snippets here and there, whispers through the Force... who, or what, were the Whills?

"Um... Luke?"

Luke felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. 

"I know." Slowly, he closed the book and set it back down. "She's here."

* * *

She stood in the vault's antechamber, staring inside at Skywalker and his accomplice. Shorter than the Jedi, dressed in utilitarian clothes, Mara noted the electro-tattoo that ran over the woman's right arm. Mara gripped her lightsaber firmly, but didn't ignite it. The urge to do so was strong. 

"This is between you and me," he told her. "Let Doctor Aphra go."

Aphra. She knew that name, from times that Vader had worked with someone on some plot. Her eyes slid to the other woman, who took a step back.

"Luke, I uh... I don't think she's the 'let people go' sort of type."

"Your friend's right," Mara said. "I've killed thieves in the Imperial Palace before. One more isn't going to bother me."

"Told ya." Aphra's voice was quieter now, the voice of someone barely containing a sort of fear she hadn't felt in a long time.

"I won't let you hurt her," Luke told Mara. "This doesn't have to get any worse."

"It _can't _get any worse," Mara replied. "You killed my master, so I have to kill you."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Your master...? You mean the Emperor?"

Mara sneered. "I am his Hand. I am his will and testament, reaching out from beyond death to bring justice and retribution for your crimes."

Luke swallowed, and then took a deep breath. "That's not how it works."

"... What?"

"The Cosmic Force is what exists beyond physical death. Those who can connect with it stay with us as we move through the living world. I know a few Jedi who've been able to manifest through the Cosmic Force. Including my father."

Mara felt her back stiffen, her blood run cold. She saw the face of the ghost from the youngling training room. 

Aphra was looking at Luke with a bit of confusion. The Jedi continued.

"You're not your own person. You're Palpatine's puppet. Despite him being dead, you're dancing on his strings."

Mara's lip curled into a sneer. "You're not worthy to speak his name, _traitor._"

Luke didn't seem to register the verbal jab. "Okay. Then tell me yours."

"What? Why? What does it matter?"

"It matters. If I'm going to die, I want to know the name of my executioner."

She paused. How could he be so calm, his voice so gentle? There had been a few Jedi who'd tried to lull her into a sense of security or peace so they could escape or try to strike her down. To them, she was a manifestation of Palpatine's anger, "an agent of evil" as one had said. But this Luke Skywalker... there was no artifice in his voice. His expression was plain, his emotions laid bare. He was hiding nothing from her.

"My name is Mara Jade."

He smiled a little. "Mara... I'm glad we've met."

Her brows furrowed. "Are you... are you insane?"

Aphra looked at Skywalker with her head cocked. "Y'know, I'm with the badass Sith assassin on this one. You take a blow to the head I didn't see out in that corridor, farm boy?"

"I'm glad," Luke said, turning to Aphra for a moment, "because if nothing else, it means there are more Force-sensitive people in the galaxy. It means I'm not alone."

"Look, no offense," Aphra replied, her eyes on Mara, "but I don't think she's exactly jumping to sign on to the Luke Skywalker fan club."

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

Luke's head whipped in Mara's direction as she took a step back, her left hand going to her head, clutching it as if to keep her brain from exploding out of her skull. For a moment, sounds around her were muffled and her vision blurred. It was several fast, shallow breaths later when she returned to her senses, and she looked up.

Doctor Aphra's eyes were wide, and she'd taken a few steps back, hands raised. Luke Skywalker, on the other hand, was staring at her with a completely different expression. A voice in Mara that wasn't hers wanted to call it 'pity'. But she knew, on some level, that it was much more than that. 

He took a small step forward, and he held out his hand towards her.

"What did he do to you, Mara?"

Her eyes found his. Her lightsaber slipped from her numb fingers. Her pulse throbbed in her ears as her arm seemed to move of its own accord, and she realized she didn't know when the last time was that someone spoke to her like this, not in fear for their life or in combat with an adversary, but like one person to another. Like someone actually gave a damn about her.

_ **YOU! WILL! KILL! LUKE! SKYWALKER!** _

Every word was a blow. Every syllable dropped a hammer on the most tender parts of her brain. Mara screamed and recoiled over and over again. Like in the chamber above, she was on her knees in an instant, both hands trying to keep her head from exploding. Then, before she knew it, she was on her feet, ignited lightsaber in her hand, and she was staring at Luke as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I have to," she whispered. Then, louder, she said "I _have _to."

"You don't," Luke replied. He still held out his left hand towards her, even as his right held his own weapon. "You have a _choice, _Mara. Don't let someone else choose for you."

"You don't understand," Mara protested through the pain in her mind. She raised her lightsaber with trembling hands. "I am what he made me. I can't disobey him. I can't_, _I _can't_... _I_ _**can't!**"_

"Yes." Luke whispered, and somehow, she heard him every bit as clearly as the raging torrent of her master's command echoing within her. "Yes, Mara, you can. I believe that you can."

Through tears, through pain, through confusion and doubt, instinct seized her and, with a cry of protest, she lunged for him.

The world exploded into light and sound, then went suddenly and completely dark.

* * *

"I hate to break up your date," Aphra said as she helped Luke to his feet. "But I think it's time to go."

"Yeah," Luke replied, blinking his eyes rapidly. He'd been able to use the Force to protect himself from Aphra's flashbang device, only because he'd been focused enough to realize she was tossing it. Mara, on the other hand, was on the floor, twitching. She would recover quickly, so they didn't have much time.

Aphra pulled out her blaster and aimed it at Mara's head.

"NO!" Luke's hand lashed out and pulled Aphra's arm up as the DL-44 went off, leaving a scorch mark on the wall above the door.

"Oh, come _on," _Aphra protested. "She's gonna keep trying to kill us, you know that, right? She's not gonna stop. Whatever Palps did to her screwed her up so badly, I don't know if she even knows who she is, other than someone who has to kill you."

"Well, I won't find out if she's dead, will I?"

Aphra glared at the Jedi. "This isn't up for debate, farm boy."

"Take the mask and one of the lightsabers."

Aphra jaw dropped and she stammered. "B... Bu... excuse me?"

"Take the Jedi Temple Guard mask, and one of the lightsaber hilts. Along with the things from the antechamber." He was putting the texts carefully in his own satchel, then he walked towards the door. "Better hurry."

"What about our deal?"

"I am altering the deal," he said. A brief momentary chill shot down his spine as he spoke those words. After a moment, seeing the fear on Aphra's face, he added: "If you kill Mara Jade, the deal's off."

Aphra blinked, then rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You know," she yelled after him as she stuffed things into her bag, "I haven't felt this put on the spot since I worked for Darth Vader."

"In another lifetime," Luke replied as he broke into a full run, "I might have been insulted. Now, _hurry."_

After a few minutes, Mara Jade roused, rolling onto her back. Through the haze of pain and emotion, she raised her comlink to her lips.

"Grand Admiral," she croaked, "this is the Emperor's Hand. The trap is set. Spring it when ready."

* * *

Luke had a bad feeling about this.

No stormtroopers or ISB agents appeared to try and stop them as they ran from the Palace to the docking bay where the bulk freighter was waiting. With practiced hands, he and Aphra worked together to get off the ground and make for orbit. Aphra set about getting the navi-computer to calculate the jump to lightspeed while Luke plotted them a hairpin course through the ISB protective flotilla. His heart sank a bit when he saw the half-dozen Star Destroyers that had appeared before they'd made for the surface close in on them. And among them...

"Dammit," Aphra said, seeing what he saw. "An Interdictor."

"Attention, bulk freighter." A haughty female voice came over the comm. "This is Grand Admiral Karyn Faro of the ISD _Manticore_, commanding the Eleventh Fleet. You are to power down and prepare to be boarded. If you resist, you will be fired upon."

The freighter shook as the _Manticore _locked on with its tractor beam. From its docking bay, six TIE fighters dropped into space and headed in their direction.

"I haven't seen those types of TIEs before," Luke said.

"They're called Defenders," Aphra told him. "Grand Admiral Thrawn wanted to put them into mass production. Palps opted for his Death Star instead. Gotta wonder how things would've turned out if he'd listened to the big blue smarty-pants."

"Speculate later," Luke replied, getting up and heading aft. "Cut bait now."

Aphra followed him, and moments later they were in the cavernous cargo bay of the freighter. 

"Artoo!" Luke shouted as he ran down the grated walkway. "Fire up the converters!"

There was an answering whistle. Aphra turned to a small console on the wall and fiddled with a few controls.

"Hey, farm boy!" When he turned to look at her, she smiled and gave him a salute. "Let's do this again sometime!"

Luke smiled back. "There's more texts out there. I just might need some help finding them."

"Well, look me up! At least you know this time I'm not gonna sell you out."

Luke turned as if to look out a non-existent window, rubbing his chin. "I don't know, there's a lot of Imperials out there..."

Aphra snorted. "Good luck, Skywalker."

He nodded. "You too. Let's do this."

* * *

Mara gritted her teeth as the _Nightsister _burst through the clouds above Coruscant and the blue of atmosphere faded into the blackness of space. She relaxed a bit when she saw the _Manticore, _unmistakable with its etched hull reminiscent of Grand Admiral Thrawn's _Chimaera_, pulling Skywalker's freighter towards it. Six TIE Defenders were vectoring in on the vessel, and the Interdictor Star Destroyer was on station, a healthy distance away but still holding the ship in the grip of its gravity well projectors.

Soon she'd have Skywalker. And all the time in the world.

To do what?

She furrowed her brows as she asked herself that question. The obvious answer was to kill him. Kill him and be done with it. Kill him and fulfill her master's last command.

But she had so many more questions. They gnawed at her. They reared up and hissed at the implacable hatred of her master's will. The words of that ghost that claimed to be Anakin Skywalker... or Darth Vader... or both... she wondered if they were true. She wondered if Luke Skywalker really was who he seemed to be. So much like many of the Jedi she'd killed, yet so different. Maybe she would ask him what he meant in what he said to her. Maybe he could translate some of those books he'd been next to. Maybe...

The freighter exploded in the next moment.

"Oh, dear," IA-5 said. "I was so looking forward to servicing a Jedi client. It's been too long."

Something very annoyed and angry reared up in her at the sound of her droid. Skywalker was _hers _to kill, to torture, to... touch...

A very confusing and unfamiliar surge of emotions came and went, being pushed aside at what she was seeing. 

A cloud of debris, bright reflective chaff, and tiny particulate matter spread from where the freighter had been. Within the sphere of detritus, two ships sped off in opposite directions. One was a TIE fighter in the advanced pattern used by the Inquisition, its panel wings unfolding as it headed at full speed into the swarm of TIE fighers being launched from the Star Destroyers of the Eleventh Fleet. The other, with the TIE Defenders zeroing in on it, was...

"Skywalker." Who else would have brought a battered X-Wing into a situation of this magnitude? Mara throttled up and aimed the _Nightsister _towards him.

"Shall I arm our concussion missiles and prepare the turret, Mistress?" IA-5's artificial voice was full of excitement. "I suspect you'll want to deliver the killing blow yours—"

"Attention, Defender detachment," Mara said into her comm. "Goad Skywalker into my line of fire. Keep him occupied and evasive. When he's disabled, do not destroy him. I want him alive."

** _YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!_ **

_Shut up and let me do it my way._

Something inside of her felt a great surge of warmth at that defiant thought. It was calming, soothing. Something she hadn't felt... perhaps ever.

"Mistress?" IA-5 sounded confused. "What are you doing?"

"Making a choice," she replied. "Load ion torpedoes instead of concussion missiles. I want to see his face when we finish this."

_I just want to see his face again, period._

She gritted her teeth and fed more power to the engines. She didn't have time for confusing thoughts or conflicting emotions. She had a Jedi to catch.

* * *

The feelings Luke was sensing from the Decimator gunship speeding up towards him from the surface were as confusing as they were, somehow, inspiring. He hadn't felt conflict like that since his father. Hope blossomed. 

The X-Wing rocked with the impact of laser cannon fire from the TIE Defender squadron leader. He pulled the X-Wing into a tight loop and went straight at the TIEs, opening fire with his own cannons mostly as a distraction. The particular mix of debris and chaff Aphra had worked into the hull of the freighter would confuse the tractor beams of the Star Destroyers, but he had no idea what effect, if any, it would have on the gravity wells from the Interdictor.

"Okay, Artoo," he said to his droid. "Let's see if we can get clear for hyperspace. Patch me through to Aphra."

There was an affirmative whistle, and a moment later, the connection crackled to life.

"I'm a bit busy!" Aphra's voice could barely be heard over the whine of twin ion engines at full throttle. "Trying to get lost in the shuffle over here while the hyperdrive warms up!"

"Won't do you any good with that Interdictor sitting there. Anyone shooting at you?"

"Not yet! The IFF signal's working like a charm. I'm just another TIE in the swarm of them as far as they can see on their scanners. Unless someone looks out a window, I'm good. And these TIE pilots must be new, none of them seem to be giving chase yet. And if all else fails, I'm glad I was able to salvage a TIE fighter that's actually got shields. You got a plan for that Interdictor?"

"Not yet," Luke told her. "I'll think of something."

"You better, farm boy! I can keep these morons confused and trying not to run into one another, but not for long. Do your thing."

The comm clicked off. Artoo asked him a question in a concerned warble.

"I see it," Luke said. The gunship was bearing down towards them. "That's Mara Jade. We need to focus on avoiding her—"

Artoo let out a warning shriek as the gunship launched torpedoes. They were fast-moving, made for intercepting starfighters. A moment later, though, Artoo gave another warning. They were ion warheads.

"She wants me alive? Don't know if that's a good sign or a bad one." He turned towards the Interdictor. "Gives me an idea, though. Deflectors double-rear, just in case."

Artoo gave a frantic response.

"I know the Interdictor's got quad lasers, Artoo, but you can push us past the red line on the throttle. Take power from the cannons, we're not going to shoot our way out of this. When I give the word, put everything, and I mean _everything, _into our ventral thrusters." He flicked his comm open. "Okay, Aphra, _now _I've got a plan."

"How dumb is it?"

"Honestly? It's pretty dumb."

"So was attacking the Death Star. You've got this, farm boy. I'll jump the second I can, and I'll be in touch. Don't get dead on me." The comm switched off.

Luke then let go of his senses, his adrenaline, his fears and doubts, and felt the Force around him. His thoughts brought him memories of the Death Star trench, his battles with Rogue Group, his chase with Leia on speeder bikes through the forests of Endor. His hands seemed to move of their own accord as the X-Wing stayed just barely ahead of the torpedoes, weaving through fire coming at him from the TIE Defenders behind and the Interdictor ahead as he closed the distance.

He dove straight for the Interdictor's amidships superstructure, between all four of the spherical gravity well generators that rested in its hull. Artoo's panicked screech begged Luke to pull up. He waited, and waited, until the very last moment.

_"Now!"_

Luke yanked back hard on the stick. Artoo's split-second timing pushed the X-Wing upwards along its lateral axis, banking them into a sudden steep climb. The sudden change in pressure and thrust almost made Luke black out. Behind them, there was an explosion, ion energy arcing across the Interdictor's hull. The lights of the ship sputtered and went out, and it began to fall planetward, powerless. Artoo whistled in triumph and Luke let out a sigh of relief, blinking the bursts of light out of his eyes, even as the ISB cruisers and frigates began to close in and launch their own TIEs.

"Let's get out of here, Artoo."

He felt Mara Jade behind him. The anger, the frustration, the compulsion. But there was also, oddly enough, a sense of relief.

Luke felt it, too. He reached out with it as much as he could.

_You're not alone_, he told her.

Then the stars became stretched lines, and he was gone.

* * *

The urge to curse set Mara's jaw, and yet the anger she expected to come was a mere dull roar in the face of so many other emotions.

_You're not alone._

It was Skywalker's voice, a comfort and an encouragement, and Mara realized how long she'd spent entirely on her own, entirely focused on her master's commands. She set a course for the _Manticore _and stood up from the console, hugging herself against the sudden chill of her ship.

"Mistress, I really must protest," IA-5 said. "Had you used concussion warheads, which move faster and more precisely than bulkier ion warheads, Skywalker could very well be dead now."

"Be quiet," she replied quietly.

"But Mistress, this is most irregular. Luke Skywalker is a Jedi Knight, and assassinated the Emperor. He is a traitor of the highest order, and must be slain with all haste."

"I said be _quiet_, IA-5."

There was a pause. "Mistress, I regrettably must now subdue you per my instructions from Emperor Palpatine."

Mara's eyes snapped up to the small spheroid. "What?"

"Per my programming, Order 13 clearly states that should you display any sign of faltering in your duty to execute his commands, I am to subdue you and administer several chemical encouragements to return to your baseline personality." The droid deployed their shocking probe and a syringe. "Please hold still, this will only take a—"

Mara's lightsaber sprang to life, and she cut the droid in half. The metal half-spheres clattered to the deck.

"Oh," said the droid, their voice full of static. "Oh, dear. Oh... dear..."

The red light in the ocular sensor faded away to nothing. Sparks eventually stopped popping out of internal systems. IA-5 was dead.

Mara shut down her weapon and sank to her knees. All along, Palpatine had saddled her with a failsafe, a keeper of sorts, monitoring her movements and activities. She'd thought of IA-5 as a companion, a trusted ally... maybe even a friend. Yet in the end, they had merely been an automaton programmed by the Emperor to enforce his will upon her.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

She closed her eyes tightly and balled her hands into fists.

"Lady Jade," came the voice of Karyn Faro over the speakers. "Please align yourself with the proper landing corridor. You're off course."

She slowly got to her feet, feeling weak. She moved to her console and made adjustments to the hyperdrive controls. She didn't really care what course she was setting, as long as it was away from here and not into a sun. She needed time. She needed to think.

"Lady Jade, please respond."

The TIE Defenders swung in her direction. Did Grand Admirals also have commands if she showed what the Emperor considered weakness? Had Faro feigned ignorance of Mara's true nature?

Did it really matter now?

She pointed her ship towards deep space, and pushed the hyperdrive levers forward.

Even as she escaped from Coruscant, she wondered if she'd ever truly escape the Emperor's last command.


	5. Naboo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things take a turn, revelations are had, and an opportunity arises.

"You didn't leave me a lot to work with, here."

Mara crossed her arms, watching the other woman work. Sparks sputtered and jumped out of the small dark object on the workbench as precise tools worked on micro-servos and relays. 

"I wasn't exactly thinking about how they might be put back together," Mara said. "I had other things on my mind."

"Was it murder?" Doctor Aphra looked over her shoulder and grinned. "Or maybe murder? Hmm... wait... oh! It had to be murder!"

Mara scowled. "I take it people think you're funny."

"Not everyone." Aphra shrugged. "But there's no accounting for taste. I certainly never made Vader laugh."

"I don't think Darth Vader was capable of laughter."

"Yeah... he really wasn't."

As Aphra turned back to her work, Mara looked around the crowded, dingy workshop. The rogue archaeologist had set up a safehouse on this backwater moon not long after the Battle of Hoth, to hear Aphra tell it. Tracking Aphra down hadn't been easy, but Darth Vader had kept records of his conversations with Aphra among his writings and musings in his keep on Mustafar. If someone were to ask her why she had chosen Mustafar as her destination when she retreated from Coruscant, she would have struggled to find an answer. But something about it had felt... right. She remembered, not too long ago, loathing Mustafar. Now, the lonely castle felt safe. It had been abandoned by Vader's former caretakers, and Mara had been sure to disable any listening devices she could find. Once a few maintenance droids were activated to keep the place habitable, she'd set out to find Skywalker's friend, if for no other reason than to repair IA-5, without Palpatine's programming.

Within the cramped space around her, several parts for astromech and protocol droids were strewn about various shelves. Some crates were set to one side, one of them laying open. Mara approached it and looked down at the contents.

"Do you keep any of your artifacts? Or are you always in the market to sell?"

"Depends," Aphra said over her shoulder. "Why, you looking to buy?"

Bending down, Mara picked up the mask from the top of the crate's various items. She vaguely remembered having seen it before. It took her a moment, but eventually she remembered several of her sparring partners wearing them when she was little. As soon as she'd been able to hold the hardwood baton that served as a practice lightsaber, the Emperor had insisted she begin training. Her trainers always wore a mask like the one she was holding. While she was fighting, Palpatine would be quick to remind her that those masks were worn by Jedi, and that Jedi would always try to hurt or kill her.

"They hate us for what we are," he had hissed on more than one occasion. "Look what they did to me. When you look upon my face, remember that it is the true face of what the Jedi are. They cloak themselves in nobility and good deeds. In truth, they are a cancer that lingers in the galaxy. You will be the medicine for that cancer, and I the surgeon that saves the galaxy."

Something about the voice, the words, that had once filled her with purpose and meaning, now turned to acid in her mind. They burned and fizzled, the memory of them sour and thin.  
  
_**YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.**_

Mara threw the mask across the room. Then, in a sudden burst of shock, she reached out and stopped it with the Force before it shattered against the corrugated metal. She lowered it to a nearby table and sank into a chair next to Aphra's workbench. She felt the rogue archaeologist looking at her. Not staring in fear or bewilderment, just... watching her.

"So... that's a no, then."

"Just shut up for a second."

Aphra turned back to her work without another word. She slipped on a device that covered her ears, and soon her head was moving to an inaudible beat. Mara laid her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.

It was a few heartbeats later when it happened.

The warm air of the hideout suddenly felt a bit cooler. There was a breeze. She looked up, and was sitting on a bench on a veranda overlooking a large body of water. On the other side of it, between columns covered in fine silver filigree that supported the glass roof, there appeared to be several mountain peaks, with the unmistakable green band of a forest in their foothills. Standing a few paces away from her was Luke Skywalker, a book in his hands, and he was staring at her.

"What is happening?"

Something about her voice sounded hollow. It seemed to be coming from another place. It didn't sound as it had in Aphra's hideout. Luke slowly closed the book — it looked like one of the ancient Jedi texts — and set it aside.

"I'm not sure," he said. His blue eyes narrowed. "Somehow... we've become connected through the Force. You're obviously not here, you're... in some workshop, it looks like." He looked around him, as if he was seeing Aphra's racks of parts and trinkets.

Mara blinked. "What? That doesn't make any sense."

"The Force is bigger than either of us, than any of us. The life force and luminous beings that bind the galaxy together connect through the cosmos beyond what we can see and touch."

"That sounds like a load of nexu crap to me."

Luke shrugged. "I'm just sharing with you what's been taught to me by the Masters. It feels true to me."

She was tempted to demand to know where he was. What serene, idyllic world was serving as his hiding place now? She could find him, track him down, finally kill him...

"It may feel true to you, but that doesn't mean it _is _true." Her own voice surprised her, and it seemed like she couldn't stop herself from talking. "You could just be trying to impose your view of the universe on me. Deflect attention away from you and the crimes of the Jedi, for which you must and will answer. You're the last toxic vestige of a bloated and diseased predator, and you have to be eliminated."

"I can understand why you feel that way." Luke's voice was gentle. Her jabs had, apparently failed to land. He moved closer to her, slowly. "You were taught, probably from when you were very small, that the Jedi were the enemy. Just as Jedi were taught that the Dark Side and all of its agents were all irrevocably evil. That was enforced dogma, in both cases. Individuals, like you and me? We don't have to subscribe to that. We can look at the world in which we live now. We can choose something other than dogma, other than pain that was never ours to begin with and never should have been our responsibility."

Mara took a step back. Something moved uncomfortably in the back of her mind. "It's... it must be a nice little world you live in, Skywalker. Where nothing's your fault, where you get to push the blame off on others. I see you for what you are. You think you're always right. And anybody who doesn't do as you do, or say what you say, is wrong. Just like all the other Jedi."

Luke took a deep breath, then nodded a little. "That's one point of view. From mine, I know the mistakes I've made. I ask myself, to this day, if I could have done something different to save my family, or Master Obi-Wan, or keep Han from getting frozen in carbonite. The fact is, I can't change the past. My point of view is that the choices I made in the past, good and bad, inform the choices I can make now and moving forward. And each one is a chance to do better. In the end, it's not about me. It's not about some narrative of me being the last of the Jedi, or some great hero. It's about the people around me, those I can help and those I need to stop. It's about the choices that are made." He shook his head. "It's not about me, Mara. It's not about you, either."

There it was again. Like some sort of massive dark worm, something rolled over and squirmed in Mara's memories. She tried not to think about it. How different it was from how she'd been until now. How it seemed to be stirred by what she was saying. How frightened she was of it. "This is my mission, my task. He is _ordering _me, _constantly_, to hunt you down and kill you. This is very much about me, and about you dying." 

The words tasted like ash in her mouth. A warm, salty breeze wafted across her from the balcony on which they stood. For a moment, Luke seemed to almost have a pitying look on his face, and Mara wanted all the more to cut him down. She neither wanted nor needed the pity of a Jedi. Then, his expression moved past something so basic to something more like genuine concern, and that insufferable and unshakable desire to understand. She didn't want that either, didn't need... to be seen or... or understood...

"You didn't choose this. It was forced upon you, before you could make the choice for yourself. You're carrying that fact with you, deep inside. It's lending fuel to all of the fires of emotion inside of you, stoking them when they don't want to be stoked, smothering them when you would prefer they stay lit. It becomes about choices you didn't make, and pain inflicted on you that is not your fault." Luke kept his eyes on hers, as if searching for something to say, and then simply repeated: "It's not your _fault, _Mara."

She remembered, with sudden clarity, how often Palpatine's trainers had knocked her down. Sometimes, when they weren't even training, she was struck. Palpatine told her it was so she would always be prepared for an unseen blow, a betrayal. He, Palpatine, himself hit her on more than one occasion, when she was young and asked too many questions, or talked back to him in a willful manner. 

Once, after hitting her particularly hard, he had spoken words she always carried with her, never raising his voice, which somehow made the words lash at her all the more. "Are you going to be the Emperor's Hand?" His yellow eyes had bored coldly into her, staring down at a little girl curled up on the floor and sobbing. "Or are you going to be a simpering, stupid child will no control, no power, no _purpose? _If you do not do as your Emperor commands, you shall be cast from my sight into the streets where we found you."

Not that. Anything but that. She'd clung to him. He was all she'd had. All she felt she ever _could _have. The only family, according to Palpatine, that she would ever deserve. And now he was gone.

Because of Skywalker.

Skywalker, who now stood closer to her. Skywalker, who looked at her with such compassion, and what seemed to be some sort of hope. Skywalker, who had not killed her when he'd had the chance, and continued to talk to her like it was the only conversation happening in the universe, or at least the only one that mattered.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Again, Mara's own voice surprised her. Not just in the sound of it, but in the way it seemed to be quiet and echo throughout the space between them at the same time. "Why didn't you let Aphra kill me?"

"Because you aren't choosing to try and kill me," he said gently. "I can see that. You're letting that choice be made for you. Palpatine, not Mara Jade, is making that choice."

Mara crossed her arms over her belly, hugging herself. She looked down and away. There was a salty stinging in her eyes. No. Crying was weakness. Especially in front of the Jedi. No matter how much pain she might be in, no matter how lost or confused or desperate she might feel.

No matter how true the words of Luke Skywalker were, and how much Mara knew it.

That was what was in the back of her mind. The acknowledgement of the truth. The power to push past all of the obstacles in her mind to the facts. Power held in check by Palpatine for all of Mara's life.

"But he's gone, Mara," Luke continued. "He can't hurt you anymore. He doesn't get to choose for you anymore. _You_ get to choose, for _yourself_. You always have."

Somewhere in the distance, very far away from either of them, there was the soft, menacing sound of the Emperor laughing.

Luke blinked. "Did you... did you hear that?"

Mara felt sweat break out on her brow, her eyes go wide. Slowly, she turned to look him in the eye, and in that moment, she felt more vulnerable than she ever had in her life.

"Every day. I hear it every day. I don't want to, I want to push past it and to have even just one day without it, but... I hear it every day. His voice, telling me to kill you. The sound of his laughter when I killed for him. I see the way his lip would curl when I disappointed him. And his eyes... he still _sees_ me, Luke." As if Palpatine could hear her, as well, she finally let something pass through her lips that she'd never said to another living soul in her entire life, a whisper that she knew would evoke more revulsion in the Emperor than just about anything else in the galaxy.

"I'm scared."

Luke blinked again. This time, he seemed genuinely shocked. "Mara..."

Something almost physical crashed down between them, a palpable and seemingly invincible darkness. There was that cackle again, and it boxed Mara's ears like the paws of a Wookie.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

She dropped, clutching her head, and wailed. She begged for it to stop, over and over again. And each and every time, Palpatine's command rang out in her head.

There was only pain, the void, her screams, his demands. It lasted only a moment, yet it lasted forever.

Then, a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. Hey! Take a deep breath. You're going to pass out if you keep screaming."

Mara panted, slowly opening her eyes. The tears were free to run down her face as she looked. There was only Aphra's safehouse, now. Aphra herself, kneeling down by Mara, blinking at her with confused and concerned eyes. No veranda. No mountains. No beautiful body of water, no greenery, no filigreed colonnade...

...no Luke.

Mara closed her eyes, and wept.

* * *

Luke hit the cool tiles of the veranda as reality snapped back into place around him. His head throbbed, and not from the fall. He was unpleasantly reminded of when he'd been on the receiving end of Palpatine's angry lightning. He swallowed coppery-tasting bile and got to his feet, shaking his head.

"Luke?"

He looked up. Leia, his twin sister, came through the door leading into the manor. The Naboo retreat had been where she'd chosen to come to convalesce after giving birth to her son, Ben. Han was... somewhere, probably teaching the baby how he'd done the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. Luke remembered the long, long talk he'd had with Han about how the way he told that story made no sense, since parsecs measured distance instead of time. After that talk, he'd worried that Han would never speak to him again. But that was before Hoth.

"Hey." 

"You're white as a sheet." She walked up to him and held a hand to his forehead. Her touch was cool, and soothing. "What happened?"

"Remember the assassin Palpatine sent after me? The Emperor's Hand?"

"She's _here?_" Leia's eyes went wide with shock, and before Luke could react, his sister had her lightsaber in her hand, whirling around. He felt her stretching out with her senses, and thankfully, she did not ignite her weapon until it was pointed away from his body. He backed up a few steps and held up his hands.

"No, no, she isn't here," Luke told her. "I... saw her, though. We talked."

Leia looked over her shoulder with an incredulous expression Luke had seen many times before. The lightsaber in her hand extinguished. "Do you _always_ get chummy with people who are trying to kill you?"

"Ask Boba Fett."

She'd turned to face him completely, and her hands rested on her hips as she raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," she conceded, "that's fair. But still... you had good cause to try and save our father, but what... what is _this?_ You told me you and Aphra barely made it off Coruscant alive, thanks to her. I don't think you owe her the time of day, let alone a conversation." Her eyebrows lowered and she moved closer to him. He felt her protective instincts rising up. "And how exactly are you communicating? Do you know how dangerous it would be if she knew where you were? Your _nephew_ is in there, Luke."

"I know," Luke said, feeling a little abashed. "It's not like I intended to talk to her, Leia. It just... happened. Do you remember how you felt me hanging outside of Bespin?"

Leia's expression softened, the potency of the memory's emotions draining away her incredulity and anger at the situation in front of her. "Yes, of course I do."

"It's like that. Only... across a very long distance. And I can see her. I don't know how it works. The sacred texts mention 'astral projection', but it's something only the most powerful Force users can truly facilitate." He paused. "If..."

Leia's head cocked to one side. "Luke?"

Luke considered telling Leia his fears. That somehow, Palpatine yet lived. Or at least that his spirit, like those of the Jedi Masters, lingered in the Cosmic Force. If that was the case, connecting Mara to Luke in this way would give his assassin clues to his whereabouts, allowing her to track him down. If nothing else, it was certainly distracting him. However, if he told Leia this, especially without evidence, it would worry her. And between being a new mother and trying to craft a new government for the galaxy, she had enough on her mind.

"I may have to try and contact Master Yoda, or Qui-Gon. He died here, on Naboo. There may be a strong connection."

Leia narrowed her eyes again. "There's something you're not telling me."

"Yes, there is," Luke told her, "and I don't want to say more about it until I know more. I don't want to bring up worries or start spinning off unhelpful or unrealistic ideas until I have more knowledge." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Suffice it to say, there's danger out there, but we're still safe here."

"You're sure?"

She wasn't doubting _him_, that much Luke knew. It was in her voice as well as her feelings. It was a question born of that protective instinct, an extra bit of assurance that would allow her to focus on her child and her work. He smiled at her.

"I'm sure, Leia." He moved to her and laid his hands on her shoulders. "This is our mother's home. There are very, very few people who even knew who our mother _was_." He kissed her forehead gently. "Look, if you like, I can talk to Wedge about flying some patrols."

"No, no," she said with a smile, reaching up to pat his face. "You're staying right where I can see you, Skywalker. Because if you have another one of these talks with this girlfriend of yours, I have some words for her."

Luke scoffed. "She is _not_ my girlfriend."

Leia grinned. "You taught me to be in tune with the feelings of those close to me, Luke. And it's rude to lie to your sister. There's _something_ there—" She punctuated the statement with a soft jab at his chest. "—and it has nothing to do with the Cosmic Force or flying patrols."

Luke felt heat in his face. He ran a hand through his hair, then turned and picked up his book.

"Come on. You're recovered enough to do a little fencing training."

"Oh, _I_ get it," she declared as she followed him off the veranda. "Can't mind-trick me into not having this conversation so it's going to be all 'focus your mind' and 'keep your guard up', huh?"

"Tell you what," Luke said over his shoulder. "Every time you score a point, you get to ask me one question about her."

"And every time _you_ score a point?"

"You have to let Han toss Ben high in the air."

"But Ben's barely a month old! What if Han drops him?"

"Those are the rules." They were in the courtyard, now, and Luke turned to face her, setting aside his book and taking off his coat. "You can accept them, or you can walk away, and not mention her again."

For a moment, Leia looked furious. Then, her features became a grin, and she began some preliminary stretches.

"Okay, brother. You're on."

* * *

"So... he's talking at you all the time?"

Mara shook her head as Aphra poured another cup of tea and pushed it to her guest. Mara picked up the cup and sipped.

"Not all the time. A few times a day, at least. More, if I'm thinking about Luke Skywalker outside of the context of killing him."

"That sounds pretty damn awful." The rogue archaeologist leaned across the small table that was situated in the living area next to her workshop/warehouse. "I met him all of once, and that was enough for an entire lifetime. Not to mention that right after, Vader pushed me out an airlock."

Mara blinked, then shook her head. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were making that up."

"Did you read my file, or something?"

"Yes, but I've also gotten to know you since you've been kind enough to help me with my droid."

Aphra shrugged. "It's not a kind of droid I'm familiar with, so it's a challenge. Plus, I feel kind of bad for almost shooting you in the head."

"Well, you didn't, so... thanks."

"Thank Luke Skywalker. He's the one who kept me from doing the practical thing."

Mara sighed. "He's kind of an idiot, isn't he?"

"Maybe a little." Aphra rested her chin on her hand. "But you can't help but admire him, you know? I mean, I left him to rot at the hands of an alien queen that wanted to _eat _him, and he gave me a second chance. Is that stupid? Could've been. But he took a risk. And you know what? We all survived it, I got some new loot to investigate and maybe sell, and you're not dead."

"I see your point, but you aren't _actively _trying to kill him."

"From everything you've told me, you're not exactly doing a bang-up job of killing him, either."

Mara grimaced, feeling a surge of anger. Aphra was looking at her openly, but wasn't judging her, nor was she mocking her. Mara's grip on her teacup tightened.

"I was taught the Jedi are evil hiding behind a face of good," Mara said. "Whenever I went out to find and kill one of them, it always escalated into violence right away. They fought me, all of them, and it was kill or be killed." She paused, her anger subsiding, giving way to a different feeling, one she couldn't quite identify. "Luke... he defended himself, but he didn't attack me. I told him to, _begged _him to fight me. But... he didn't. He stopped the fight, and he let me go." Mara ran her hand across her throat. "And then, on Coruscant... well, you were there."

"That was one of the weirdest things I've seen, and I've seen a lot." Aphra regarded her teacup, then drained it. "But, you know, you hear stories about the Jedi, about how they were guardians of peace in the galaxy and so on, but standing there? I never really _believed _it until then. I mean, there you were, all set to slice him into half a dozen little idealistic Jedi bits, and he just... _talked_."

"It's more than that." Mara bit her lip. "He means what he says. And he sees me. When I went on missions against other Jedi, all they saw was a threat, an assassin, a pawn of their enemy. Luke sees _me_."

Aphra blinked. "Whoa. That's... wow." She stood and went over to the small food prep area, starting more water boiling. "I mean, we meet a lot of people out there. Me, they tend to see the hot and smart scoundrel who wheels and deals so she can scrape by to her next score. And that's, like, all the time. So when someone actually takes the time to _see _who Chelli Lona Aphra is..." She shivered, refreshing the water in the teapot. "It makes you feel good and a little creeped out at the same time, right? But not, like, in a bad way, necessarily."

Mara furrowed her brow. "It makes sense, and I don't know if I've ever felt this way before." She paused, her hand resting on her chest. "Are you saying... Luke makes you feel this way?"

Aphra studied Mara, and her face slowly broke out in a grin. "Oh, honey, no. Luke is _not _my type. If anything, _you're _more my type than he is. But to be honest, you kinda scare me, so."

Mara blinked. "I don't follow."

"You don't—?" Aphra stood up and stared down at Mara. "Look. This guy. Okay?" She started counting off points on her fingers. "This guy talks to you in ways that make you think differently, you say you feel seen when you're around him, you have very clear orders to kill him and it seems to me you're not convinced it's worth it to do so, you fried your _own droid _when it realized you weren't keen on killing Luke, and just... just the way you talk about the guy... it's written all over your face!"

Mara narrowed her eyes and looked away, then back at Aphra. Sighing, Aphra crossed her arms and looked annoyed.

"You love him, you idiot."

Mara shot to her feet. "That is _ridiculous! _I don't—!"

Aphra didn't move, just looked at Mara incredulously. Slowly, Mara sat back down, and she was glad the chair was under her, otherwise she might have fallen over.

"How... when...?"

"I couldn't tell you," Aphra replied, again refreshing their tea. "What I _do _know is that you either need to stay as far away from him as possible, lest Papa Palpatine gets the best of you, or..."

"Or?"

"Or we set up a test." Aphra tapped a finger on her chin. "Look, you love Luke, but you've got this compulsion to kill him, right? Well, if _he _loves _you_, that might mean there's a possibility of you overcoming that compulsion."

Mara felt skeptical. She took a long sip of tea. "Jedi don't go around the galaxy falling in love. Relationships weren't allowed in their code."

"Last I checked, there weren't a whole lot of them running around being the Love Police."

Aphra's attempt at a joke didn't land. Mara, for her part, was thinking back to Coruscant. To the presence in the palace.

"In the end," Anakin Skywalker's ghost had said, "I was lying to myself. I made a choice, and that choice lead to the death of the Jedi, of all of the younglings who'd stood in this room... my wife... my friend... and it almost killed my son."

Mara stood.

"I've spoken with him through the Force," she said to Aphra, "but I don't think I'm in control of it. I don't know how that works. So I can't... I can't just _ask _him."

"Well, if we could get you two together, then you could find out."

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

Aphra reached past Mara to the table for her datapad, pulled up a recent message, and showed it to Mara. Mara studied it for a moment, then looked at Aphra.

"You're serious."

Aphra grinned.

"About stuff like this? Always."

* * *

"I don't like it."

Luke blinked, looking at Han and Leia. While it was Leia who'd spoken, Han's face also indicated he wasn't a fan of what he was seeing.

"Pretty sure we're looking at a trap here, kid."

"As far as I know," Luke said, "the credentials Aphra used to get us onto Coruscant are still intact. This auction could have more of the texts. Or something else I need to establish the school."

"You know your first guaranteed student is barely a month old," Leia reminded him.

"Well, he's already flying," Han put in with a grin. Leia gave him a playful punch, then winced as her sore shoulder gave her a fresh reminder of how the training had gone just a couple of hours before. 

Luke had a moment of concern, with Leia saying Ben was his 'first' student. Wouldn't Leia be his first student? What was she thinking? He put that thought aside and turned back to the shimmering holographic advert.

"My question is, why would Aphra want to tell you about it?" Han rubbed his chin. "What's she get out of it?"

"Protection, maybe," Luke said. "When I was with her, she didn't have her droids."

"She can handle herself more than capably," Leia countered. "She doesn't need you for that. And if Mara Jade knows you worked with her, it wouldn't take a lot to put some pressure on her to lure you into a trap with something like this."

Luke considered that, and Han chuckled.

"That's not gonna deter him."

Leia turned to face Han. "What?"

"Come on, Your Worship. This is your brother we're talking about. If this Mara character is press-ganging Aphra into setting this up, that's gonna tell him that Aphra's in danger. Since it sounds like all the bridges are mended there, he'll mount up and ride to her rescue even _faster_ if there's the possibility of that."

Leia spun on her brother. "No. _No. _It's too dangerous."

"She ain't wrong, kid. _And_ it's on Canto Bight," Han added. "That place is like Mos Eisley. You remember Mos Eisley, right? Picture that, only a hundred times more glamorous and a thousand times seedier. It's not pirates and bounty hunters, it's war profiteers and politicians." He paused. "Uh. No offense, Your Highnessnes—"

Leia elbowed him lightly. The air _whoof_ed out of the smuggler. Luke sighed.

"Look again at the advert."

They did. The image began with bright, glittering words: **RELICS OF THE GALACTIC CIVIL WAR!** They shimmered away, replaced by: **RARE, ONE-OF-A-KIND JEDI ARTIFACTS! **Beneath those words, a pair of lightsabers and an odd cube spun slowly, as if on display. And then: **POWERFUL ICONS OF THE EMPIRE!**

Floating beneath those words was the helmet of Darth Vader.

Leia and Han looked at Luke. Their faces were ashen. Leia was the first to speak. "How...?"

"I don't know," Luke said. "But that, if nothing else, needs to be taken out of there. Who knows what sort of cult or splinter group could rise up around it? I have to take it out of circulation."

"You mean... you're gonna _steal _it?" Han's face broke into a wicked grin. "Okay, _now_ I'm in."

"You are _not_," Leia shot over her shoulder, then looked at Luke. "But I think I know who is."

Luke nodded. "Doctor Aphra."

"No way," Han protested, all humor gone. "You barely got off of Coruscant alive, and that was when she was _helping_ you. If she's setting you up, there's no way you can get out of Canto Bight without someone getting seriously hurt, Jedi or no Jedi. I think Leia's right. There's too many ways this can go wrong, kid. Sit this one out."

Luke closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out. He'd heard arguments like this before. On Dagobah, when it was Han himself who'd been in danger. Yoda, telling him to honor what Han and Leia were fighting for. Obi-Wan, telling him to be patient. And the price he'd paid for ignoring them? He flexed his right hand, his artificial hand, and remembered.

Then, he felt Leia touching his cheek.

"Luke... are you sure?"

He opened his eyes, and saw her face. She knew what he was thinking, but also what he was feeling. It was so strong now that there was no way he could deny it. He wasn't sure how it had happened, or when. Maybe it was when the first shadow of doubt crossed Mara's face as their lightsabers clashed. Maybe it was when he grabbed Aphra's wrist and saved Mara's life. Maybe it was the sound of Mara saying his name.

All he knew was that it was there, a feeling that had all the light and warmth of a star, and all of the gravity and danger to match.

"I'm sure." His voice was a whisper. He could barely believe he was saying the words. And yet, there it was.

Leia sighed. "Do you want us to come with you?"

"Wait." Han glanced around the room. "What just happened?"

"Han," Leia said quietly. "If you knew I was in trouble, and you had the opportunity to come and help me, what would stop you?"

"Nothing," Han replied, without hesitation. "Not a damn thing! I mean, come on, Leia, you know how much I lov—" Then, he looked from his wife to his brother-in-law. "... _Oh._"

There was silence in the room. And then, Han Solo sighed.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."


	6. Canto Bight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A high-society auction on a decadent planet featuring items bound to attract fanatics, assassins, and one of the most idealistic people in the galaxy? What could possibly go wrong?

In the end, Luke had declined to let Leia and Han come with him. Instead of his X-Wing, he'd borrowed a J-type yacht from one of Naboo's old shipyards. The shimmering vessel cut through space well enough, its chromium hull reflecting starlight as well as the bright lights of Canto Bight as Luke brought the ship in for a landing. He knew that his sister and brother-in-law weren't wrong. It was more than likely that some trap, of one form or another, was waiting for him in the casino.   
  
All the same, he was here. And he wasn't leaving without his father's helmet.

As the ship settled onto its delicate-looking landing gear, Luke stood up from the controls and turned. Then, he winced a bit, reaching up to tug on the collar of his shirt.

"Master Luke, I _must _insist you cease treating your cravat with such disregard!"

Luke sighed softly. The golden protocol droid shuffled towards him, arms gesticulating in the direction of Luke's suit.

"If you are to present yourself as a noble member of high society, your manner of dress must be impeccable!"

"Okay, Threepio, I'll stop messing with it." Luke tugged on the lapels of the formal jacket he wore over the cream-colored shirt. The jacket and slacks were a gunmetal gray color, a few shades darker than rank-and-file Imperial navy uniforms. C-3P0 reached up and, as well as he could with his somewhat inflexible fingers, tucked Luke's blood-red cravat back into place, and gave it a bit of a tug to fluff it up. The trousers had piping the same color as the cravat, and Luke swept a hand over the right side of his trousers to flick away some bits of dust.

"There. Much better." Threepio backed up a few steps and bowed a bit at the waist. "You look _far _more prepared for mingling within the confines of Canto Bight's famous casino. Now, I am prepared to brief you on the rules of sabacc and—"

"I'm not going to be gambling, Threepio." Luke reached with his right hand under the left side of his jacket, feeling where his lightsaber's hilt hung from his belt. The coat was long, ending just above his knees, fully concealing the weapon. He sat, adjusting his black calf-length boots and using a cloth to apply a bit of polish. "You have the invitation?"

"Yes, of course!" Threepio projected the invitation from a small holo-disc carried in his hand. "I must say, if I had not been informed it had been provided by Doctor Aphra, I would have sworn it was legitimate!"

"And you be sure to tell that to whomever is letting us in. I don't want to draw any more attention than I have to. There are going to be a lot of people here from all over the galaxy. Some of them may know the Force, or have seen a Jedi before. Do you remember what you need to do once I'm inside?"

"I do indeed, Master Luke! Once you contact me, I am to trigger the casino's evacuation alarm to create confusion so that you can make your escape. You can count on me!"

Luke smiled a little, getting to his feet. "I'm sure I can, Threepio. Let's go get this over with."

They walked from the landing bay across the town to the lights and bustle of the casino. Holographic displays proudly boasted about the auction, and every time it changed to a rotating representation of Darth Vader's helmet, Luke felt something cold crawl around in his belly. To some, it was a visage to be feared. Others held it in high esteem, a representation of what they felt was provided by the empire - order and stability. To Luke, it represented everything that was wrong with Palpatine and his Empire. Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Master and a good friend to his own first mentor, twisted and broken by manipulations born of the worst parts of the Dark Side of the Force. Master Yoda, a philosopher and protector that exemplified the best virtues of the Jedi, forced into hiding after a terrible tragedy.  
  
And then there was Mara Jade.

As Threepio presented the invitation to one of the armed security officers at the door, Luke found himself once again thinking of the red-haired Dark Side acolyte who apparently had been hand-raised to kill Jedi like him. What would her life had been like if she had never encountered Palpatine? What if, in a moment of odd circumstance or the movement of the Cosmic Force, she had happened across Jedi teachings that contradicted the venomous hate-fueled rhetoric of the Sith? These were the kind of questions Luke had asked himself as he'd laid awake at night, staring up at the ceiling, unable to stop thinking about Mara.

Much as he was loathe to admit it, his sister was right. His feelings for the woman were something that had almost tangible weight inside of him. He found himself replaying their conversations in his head, trying to remember the look in her eyes or a movement of her shoulders, attempting to read her body language. He ruminated on their last conversation, where she'd told him that she was scared, when she'd said his name. At times he'd think about future conversations, imagining something she would say, thinking of how he'd respond. At times, it felt very silly to him. Right before leaving Naboo, he'd told Leia so.

"Love can be silly," Leia had told him, "but that's part of what makes it wonderful. If you let love make you a little silly sometimes, it opens you up to joy. We walk around with our shields up, trying to keep anything and everything in the galaxy from hurting us. When a special person comes along that brings those shields down, even for a moment, it can throw us off. It can scare us; sometimes, we go so far as to push that person away. Which is, itself, a little silly sometimes. I mean, yes, Han could be smarmy and annoying, but he showed time and again that he meant well, and he's always been brave enough to do the right thing when it matters. If I'd kept pushing him away, I would have missed out on so much. And I felt very silly, sometimes, going along with his plans or getting more angry at him than I should have. But as silly as it felt, _not _having those moments of feeling silly would have meant not having him in my life. That wasn't what I wanted. And I knew he didn't want that, either. So yes, we acted silly; I mean, you've seen it more than once." Leia had taken hold of his arms and smiled. "Here's the thing, Luke: Love is foolish, and sometimes, it's risky. You only need to ask yourself: is this person worth the risk? Do they, and the feelings that you feel when you think about them or happen to be near them, matter enough for you to be a little foolish? Give that some thought — it's one of the most important questions you'll ever have to ask yourself."

Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to stay focused on why he was here, even if he wanted to spend time really sorting out the answer to that question. Though a part of him told him that he already knew the answer.

"Come along, Master!" Threepio was scooping at Luke's elbow with one of those barely articulated hands to guide him past the doors. "The wonders of the casino await!"

A few meters past the security, Luke sighed. "Thanks, Threepio. I was lost in thought there a second."

"I _told _you that you could count on me, sir!" Threepio seemed to hold his head a bit higher as they walked onto the casino floor.

The gaming tables had been rearranged to surround a large open space, currently serving as a dance floor, which would soon be crammed with unscrupulous and well-to-do patrons of the establishment bidding on the auction's items. A portable stage had been set up across the dance floor from the bar, with a long table that would no doubt be used to show off some of those items. The items themselves were not in sight, which Luke had expected. They would be held securely until the very moment the auction began. The band, located near the stage, was playing something lively that distantly reminded Luke of the cantina in Mos Eisley, and couples were vigorously moving to the upbeat rhythm.

"Okay," Luke said to Threepio. "Here we go. Find an alarm switch and don't move from that spot. Be as inconspicuous as possible and stay out of trouble."

"I am on my way, Master Luke," Threepio replied in his own lowered tone, picking up on Luke's cue. "Do be careful."

"You too." Luke didn't watch the droid go. If he was going to put on the airs of an aristocrat, that meant acting like he considered droids beneath him. He wasn't used to lying, or putting on this kind of act. He wasn't even tall enough to pull off being a convincing stormtrooper. So his plan consisted of keeping his chin up, acting haughty, and trying not to say much to most of the people around him.

He was able to maintain the illusion for about five minutes before Mara Jade walked into the room.

He didn't see her at first. He didn't need to. He felt her as clearly as if the room had been empty and he had been standing alone in it when she walked in. For a moment, his heart jumped into his throat. A sharp intake of breath pushed things back into place internally, and he made himself breathe out slowly. He reminded himself that he was here on a mission, and that she might be here to stop him, meaning they may end up fighting, in spite of what had happened on Naboo. He tried to calm his mind, center his thoughts, open himself up to the Force.

When he saw her, thoughts of missions and legacies and Empires fled his mind entirely.  
  
She seemed to materialize out of the crowd, like something Luke was seeing in a dream. She wore an ankle-length off-shoulder dress of midnight blue, decorated in small reflective pin-points that made it appear as if she was clad in stars. It clung to her curves, and both sides were slit to her upper thigh, revealing her legs as she moved. Black gloves of silk covered her arms past her elbows. Her slingback shoes were also black, their block heels high yet sturdy. Her coiffed hair fell in waves around her face and down her back. The makeup around her eyes were bold wings, and her lips were stained the color of dazzling rubies. Her smile was soft, and it grew slowly as he took in the sight of her.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," she said. Her tone was playful, moreso than he'd ever heard it.

"You look beautiful," he told her. He paused. For some reason, his thought was: _What would Han say?_ "Do you haunt casinos on a regular basis?"

She gave a short laugh that was nearly a snort. "You don't do things like this often, do you, Skywalker?"

"No," he said. "This is my first time."

Her smile only became more dazzling. "If that's the case, I'll try to be gentle."

He felt heat rise to his cheeks. There was a glint in Mara's eyes that told him she'd seen his reaction, and she was enjoying it. He cleared his throat. 

"Why are you here?"

"A mutual friend let me know this was happening, and it didn't take a Jedi Master's prescience to figure out you'd show up."

"A mu—?" Luke sighed. "Aphra."

"Aphra." Mara shrugged. "I think she's more of a romantic than she lets on."

Luke studied her for a long moment. Leia's words echoed in his mind.

_Is this person worth the risk? Do they, and the feelings that you feel when you think about them or happen to be near them, matter enough for you to be a little foolish?_

"So you know I'm here to take my father's mask?"

"You're here to _steal_ it," Mara replied. "Isn't stealing a violation of the Jedi Code in some way?" Before he could respond, her face grew a little more serious. "Are you scared of who might buy it?"

"It's a symbol of the Empire, and those who lead it. Now that they're gone, their legends are growing." Luke glanced around. "It wouldn't take much to create a cult of Dark Side followers around it. To revitalize or attempt to resurrect the Empire in some way, shape, or form. Palpatine's ideas of ruling by fear and crushing freedom without mercy..."

"I get your point." She looked away, across the dance floor to where the items would be brought out to be gawked at and bid upon. "Believe me... I get it."

"I know. I'm... you're right, I'm scared."

Looking back at him, slowly, the smile returned.

"More or less so, because I'm here?"

It was Luke's turn to look away. "Could be a bit of both, I guess. Which is... kind of foolish, when you look at it from a certain point of view."

"I've done more foolish things in my lifetime than show up here looking for you." He felt her pause as much as he heard it. "I made the choice to come here. I don't know what happens next here, Skywalker. But it's my choice. Not _his_. Mine."

Luke closed his eyes and smiled.

_Yes. It absolutely is worth the risk._

* * *

The band struck up a slow, easy-going number. Couples paired off as more vigorous dancers headed for the bars for hydration and libation. Luke turned to Mara, extending his hand.

She looked at it, and then at him. "You're serious."

"I haven't danced in a while. I think I'd like to."

After a moment, with a hint of a smile, she took his hand. They walked to the dance floor, and the next thing she knew, they were moving together, as if they'd done this a thousand times before.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

"I still hear him, you know," she said quietly, an intimate tone swallowed by the music outside of them. "And it's always the same thing."

"Well, this might be your best chance." Luke was smiling as he said it, as if he was talking with her about the food being offered. "I mean, I'm in a very vulnerable position, and you've got the element of surprise. You couldn't ask for a better shot."

Mara stared at him. Then, she found herself laughing. Quietly, almost to herself, but it was still laughter.

"You're either insane or an idiot."

"Hmm." Luke looked thoughtful. "I don't think I'm either, but I suppose that's what an insane person would say. Facts are facts, though."

"Yes, they are." Mara nodded, then studied his face for a long moment. "I want to believe you. I want to believe that I get to choose, and that he's... gone."

"What you believe is up to you," Luke said. She was still hearing the music, but even as they moved between other couples during their slow dance, it was like they were illusions. She felt as if they were the only two people in the room, or on the planet. Her heart was thrumming in her chest and she felt warm. She expected him to go on, to lay out some gentle philosophical argument.

He didn't. He just looked at her, with that open and earnest expression, at once soft and filled with determination.

Slowly, almost as if she was afraid she was dreaming, she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I didn't have a life before he took me in," she told him. "And now I feel like he stole it from me."

"That's what he did to my father, too," Luke agreed. His hand moved up her back, tracing her spine. It stopped when it slipped under her hair, coming into contact with the lightsaber concealed between her shoulder blades by the long waves of crimson she'd styled specifically to hide her weapon. For a moment, Mara wondered if he'd disarm her. She could almost hear Palpatine warning her that this Jedi would betray her and cut her down as a hated enemy, an acolyte of the Sith.

Instead, he flattened his hand against her back and pressed her gently to him. His other arm wrapped more tightly around her waist. Her hands moved up his arms and her fingers curled into his shoulder muscles, clinging to him. Her eyes closed and she felt tears run down her cheeks, moistening the cloth of his suit. She fought with her emotions, both the swelling of heat in her chest and the insistent presence in her mind admonishing her to fulfill her Emperor's last command.

"I don't want this to end," she whispered, knowing her lips were centimetres from his ear. "I haven't felt peace like this in... in a very long time. Maybe ever."

"It's still your choice," Luke murmured. "Everything you've been through is probably telling you to reject the peace you're feeling. You get to choose if you accept it."

She expected, as before, to fall into war with herself, between what she was feeling in her heart and everything that had been drummed into her mind since she was a child. To lean against him and quiver and shake and cry.

She let go of his right arm, but only so she could turn her face towards her as she lifted her head.

She tasted her own tears when they kissed. At first, it was tentative, as if neither of them were really aware of what was happening, as if it were a dream. Then, slowly, the reality of it set in, and Luke's hand was no longer on her back, but cradling her head, just as she moved her fingers into his hair. They didn't come up for air until the song ended.

The other dancers were politely applauding the band as they came apart, gazing at one another, and Mara saw tears in Luke's eyes, too. Yet, he was smiling, almost glowing. And so was she.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

"Let's get out of here," she said to him, taking his hands in hers. "You're right. I may not get another chance."

Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master and hero of the Rebellion, blushed. She really, really liked the fact that he was still capable of blushing.

"Someplace nobody will find us," he replied, "and where the Emperor won't matter anymore."

* * *

Luke had no idea where he was going, and he didn't care at all.

His original purpose for coming here felt absolutely trivial. He felt like his heart was so full of joy it might burst. It was like another victory over Palpatine. He had managed to turn his father away from the Dark Side. And now, hand in hand, he and Mara Jade ran through some of the back corridors of the Canto Bight casino vessel into its engineering section. A few Ugnaughts and some droids watched them with either mild curiosity or dismissive annoyance. An operation this extensive didn't operate without a good deal of upkeep, and the technicians and their droids were too busy with their work to spare a moment to stop a pair of young aristocrats sneaking off to be alone.

Finally they came into a large chamber, at least three stories tall. The wide walkway in the middle of it clanged gently as they ran towards the center of it. There was a circular observation area at the halfway point between the front and rear doors of the room. Luke came to a stop there, looking around. Mara did the same, her long years of training meaning the run had barely winded her.

"What is this place?"

"I think this was an old warship," Luke said. "Probably ran multiple shield generators. I think this used to be the housing for one of them." He looked down. "See how the grating here is different from the rest of the walkway? This was probably where the shield controls-"

"Skywalker." Luke stopped as Mara Jade said his name, and a chill went down his spine. He looked up, and met her gaze, that of the dangerous predator he'd first met on Endor. "I can't tell you how much I _don't care_ about the history of this stupid ship." She moved towards him fiercely.

And, before he could react, she was kissing him, her hands on his chest and slipping his jacket off of his shoulders. The momentum carried Luke backwards, into the center of the platform, causing him to nearly slip on the jacket. He planted his back foot to keep from being pushed to the railing and possibly over its edge. The heat of Mara, the hunger in her kiss, threatened to overwhelm him. He welcomed the sensation, hands taking hold of her hips and pulling her to him. Suddenly, their hands were moving in several directions, guided by the simultaneous shared thought: _you are wearing way too many clothes._

A loud hiss cut through the room, a hot knife impaling the moment and the mood. Luke and Mara pushed apart, eyes wide as they looked at one another, then at their surroundings. Both of them held their lightsabers, and Luke stretched out with the Force. There was something there... 

The hissing noise came again. Luke looked up, and saw access hatches opening above them. Descending thanks to small jets on their back and boots were a number of droids. They appeared to be some form of combat or sparring droid, clad in red armor, their heads dominated by opaque black domes. There were six of them, and as they alighted on the platform, Luke saw that each droid had a pair of sheathes on its forearms.

"I don't think these are casino security." Luke looked over his shoulder, then turned as he saw Mara's face. "Mara?"

Mara Jade had gone pale. Her ruby-red lips slowly formed words.

"He's here. Luke. He's here."

* * *

Never had a dream turned so quickly into a nightmare.

Mara recognized the droids. _Sentinels. _Droids specifically built for and programmed by the Emperor as part of a contingency plan if he were to die. She had come across some information on them on one of the occasions she'd taken to sneak into the Imperial Palace and let herself into its most secure areas. Unlike the robes most Sentinels wore, these were armed and armored. It didn't bode well.

The worst part was when one of the droids turned its opaque glass dome towards her and the voice... _that voice... _came out of it.

"Mara Jade."

Slowly, behind the glass, a holographic projection of the face of Emperor Palpatine appeared. The sickly, noxious yellow of his eyes gazed at her with hatred.

"You have disappointed me, my Hand. Luke Skywalker yet lives."

"He'll die at a time and place of my choosing," Mara replied, trying to marshal her strength, "not yours."

"You lie." The projection flickered for a moment, giving Palpatine an unnatural and terrifying sneer. It sorted itself back into a cool if hateful countenance in the next heartbeat. "You are allowing yourself to be seduced by this foolish, idealistic, and completely unworthy _boy._"

"She can make her own decisions," Luke said. "You're wrong to try and control everyone and everything, your Highness. You've failed before, and you'll fail again."

The Sentinel chuckled. "Oh, I don't think so, young Skywalker. Not at all." Then the projection began to laugh. The domes of the other droids flickered on and suddenly all of them were laughing. They all had Palpatine's face, and all of them were laughing at her. Mara shut her eyes and shook her head.

_No. No, this is all trickery and mind games. I'm not afraid. I won't let myself be afraid._

For a moment, a warmth touched her mind.

_Just don't let the fear rule you, _said Luke's voice. _Calm your mind and let it pass over you. Don't let it guide you. Feel the Force, Mara, and make your choices. _Your _choices._

Mara breathed in slowly, then out, focusing on the warmth of the Jedi's presence and trying to get a handle on her feelings.

The platform shook as something heavy landed on it.

Mara looked up, and saw that the circle of Sentinels had been joined by a hulking humanoid wearing a black and grey bodysuit augmented with armor at the shoulders, forearms, and calves. They appeared to be male, but their head was obscured by a large black helmet, the only visible feature of which was a horizontal slit that glowed red in the semi-darkness of the former shield generator chamber. Mara had only met a few of the other Jedi hunters the Emperor had employed, but this one she remembered.

"Fourth Brother," she said quietly, in recognition as well as greeting.

"Hello, Emperor's Hand," the Inquisitor growled. "I have been waiting for this day."

"The Inquisitorius will oversee the final trial of Mara Jade," one of the Sentinels explained.

"Mara Jade will carry out the Emperor's last command," said another.

"The Jedi will be vanquished," a third put in.

A fourth spoke: "And if she does not..." 

The fifth Sentinel moved into a fighting stance. From each of its forearm sheaths sprang a collapsible serrated blade. The other Sentinels followed suit, and Mara saw the flickers of red energy that crackled between the teeth on each blade. They were made to deflect lightsabers. She wondered if their armor was similarly designed.

"...we will," a fifth Sentinel said, finishing the thought.

"Now, prove your loyalty to your undying master," the last one admonished her.

The Fourth Brother reached behind his back, bringing out the long handle of a lightsaber. Pressing its activator, red blades sprang from both ends.

"Or don't," the Inquisitor said with a soft chuckle. "I'm happy either way."

Slowly, Mara turned towards Luke. He was moving at the same time. Neither of them had ignited their weapons. 

"You don't have to do this," Luke told her.

His jaw was set in determination, but his eyes were fixed on her with that expression of compassion and hope. His collar was disheveled, the first few buttons of his shirt undone. His hair was a mess. The sight of him made her heart ache. Her vision swam for a moment, and she blinked the tears away. She gripped her lightsaber's hilt and ground her teeth.

"You have _no _choice," said one of the Sentinels.

"That's a lie," Luke replied, not looking away from her, "and you know it."

"You _will _obey your last command!" The Sentinels were slowly closing in.

"It's up to you, Mara."

"You will kill Luke Skywalker!" They were speaking in unison, now.

Luke didn't say anything, this time. He just... looked at her. There was no artifice in his demeanor, no hidden master plan. He was just _here_, in this moment, with her.

_"You will kill Luke Skywalker!"_

It was written all over his face — his foolish, naive, way-too-earnest farmboy face. He was an open book to her. He accepted her. He trusted her.

He loved her.

_ **"YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!"** _

Mara brought up her lightsaber, its blade throwing back the shadows around her with its magenta light. Luke did the same a moment later, green illuminating the darkness around him and the Sentinels behind him. The droids were grinning. Their expressions were triumphant.

For a moment, not a single figure in the tableau moved.

Luke's eyes were fixed on hers. He was practicing what he'd told her: he was scared, she could see it, but the fear wasn't in control. He was. And whatever happened next, he was going to accept.

Mara let her eyes flick towards the Fourth Brother, then back at Luke.

_You want to take him?_

Luke's expression didn't change for a moment. Mara's blood went cold. Had she misjudged how this worked? He'd heard her thoughts before, was there some sort of interference now? Was there a large functional difference between communicating across vast amounts of space, and here when they were finally face to face again? It might be, Mara realized with a sinking feeling, for the last time...

Then, with so much subtlety that Mara almost missed it herself, he winked.

_Lady's choice. _His voice in her head danced with laughter. _But I figured you might get some catharsis out of trashing these Sentinels._

_I love you._

The words slammed into her conscious mind without prompt or warning, and she knew Luke had heard them a split-second after she realized she had thought them. It was her turn to blush, heat rushing to her face in a heartbeat. Now? She was going to admit that _now? _

Luke couldn't contain his smile any longer. 

_I know._

Mara felt her face squeeze into an expression of well-meaning but earnest annoyance.

_Skywalker, that is NOT how you —_

_ **"YOU! WILL! KILL! LUKE! SKYWALKER!"** _

Mara spun on her heel and struck at the closest Sentinel as Luke leaped towards the Fourth Brother. As her blade dove towards the droid's chest with each swing, she heard herself shouting, punctuating each of her strikes.

_ **"YOU! WILL! SHUT! UP!!"** _

* * *

Joy is a powerful feeling.

It can be difficult to find. You may not be able to see it, and it may feel like something impossible to recognize. But we can choose it, even in the most dire of circumstances. And when we focus on the joyous things, perhaps especially when the world around us is dark and dire, we bring that joy into the lives of those around us, the people with whom we want nothing more than to share in and foster that joy we work very hard to find and to choose. And that's the trick of it: we always have a choice, and we can always choose joy.

Even as the massive frame of the Fourth Brother brought one of the blades of his lightsaber down towards Luke Skywalker's head, the joy in his heart at that was something bigger than almost anything else he'd ever felt in his entire life.

It was the joy of hearing Mara's voice in his mind that moved him with alacrity around the Fourth Brother's bulk.

It was joy from the wry, knowing expression on her face as they quickly planned their battle that gave power to his swing as he aimed for the back of the Inquisitor's knees.

And the joy of knowing — not just feeling or hoping, but _knowing _— that she loved him, as much as he loved her, was going to keep him alive no matter how many times his blows got parried.

The Fourth Brother made a move towards Mara and the collapsing circle of Sentinels around her, but Luke ducked low and slipped past him to get in his way, green lightsaber in front of the visor of that helmet. The big humanoid smacked the Jedi's blade away. Luke moved with the motion to take another swing towards the legs. There was a growl from the Inquisitor, and Luke moved behind him again, staying low. No sense exposing himself to the double-bladed weapon of his foe by trying some foolish acrobatics. 

"Come on," Luke said. "Don't you want your Emperor's approval?"

"You will _die_, Jedi scum." The Fourth Brother moved in for several quick strikes. Luke gave ground, deflecting and dodging. He glanced past the advancing Inquisitor, seeing Mara's lightsaber flash and flicker between the moving forms of the Sentinel droids.

A red lightsaber blade thrust past his head. If his instincts hadn't pushed him a bit to one side, he might have caught it in the face. Again remembering the teachings of Yoda, Luke brought his focus back to the fight in front of him.

The Fourth Brother was very skilled with his particular variation on the lightsaber, and Luke had to work hard to stay ahead of the speed with which the Inquisitor moved, quickly overcoming his surprise that someone so large could move so quickly. It took a few moves and counter-moves, but Luke finally saw a flaw in the Fourth Brother's form, and at the right moment, he swung with his lightsaber, not at his opponent, but at his opponent's weapon.

He was slightly off the mark. While he did cut the long hilt of the Inquisitor's lightsaber, he was only successful in taking off one of the emitters. The Inquisitor still had an active blade. And in the moment that followed, Luke earned a punch in the face that sent him staggering back. His hand instinctively went to his nose, which didn't _feel _broken. Another punch landed in the same spot, and Luke heard the mechanisms in his artificial hand crumple slightly with the blow. Had they been bones, his hand would now be broken. As it was, it might just malfunction a little. Luke hoped so, at least.

The Fourth Brother shifted his weapon to a more traditional two-handed grip and came at Luke with renewed fury. If anything, he was faster without the second blade. Luke tried to keep more of a distance, now keenly aware of how his opponent was not afraid to make use of his bulk on top of his Force abilities. He knew the door out of the chamber was coming up behind him, and he reached out with the Force to open it, to give him more breathing room.

The Fourth Brother kicked him in the chest.

It was a miracle, to Luke, that his ribcage didn't collapse. The blow did rob him of all of the air in his lungs, though, and at least a couple of things cracked or popped inside of him. He hit the walkway hard, barely holding on to his lightsaber. The Inquisitor loomed over him, and Luke felt the Force pressing down on him. He saw the humanoid's outstretched hand as the other arm raised the red lightsaber for a killing blow.

"Now I kill the last of the Jedi," the Fourth Brother said, "_and _I become the Emperor's Ha—"

There was a split-second flash of magenta near the Inquisitor's neck.

For a moment, neither Luke nor the Fourth Brother moved. Then, slowly, the large helmeted head of the Inquisitor rolled down one of his massive shoulders and bounced off of the railing of the walkway before plunging into the darkness below. As the bulky body collapsed, Mara Jade moved past it as her lightsaber went out, swiftly kneeling beside Luke.

"How badly are you hurt?"

"I think a few of my ribs need some help," Luke wheezed, before taking a breath — which hurt like crazy — and willing the Force to do some preliminary healing of the bones in question. Mara cradled his head and helped him into a sitting position. He glanced at her left arm, seeing that there was a long cut from her shoulder to her elbow, the glove gone, used for a bandage around her right thigh. "You're hurt, too."

"We have a bigger problem," she said quietly, brushing some of his sweat-soaked hair away from his forehead. As she went on, he pulled off the cravat he'd been wearing, and tied it around her upper arm to try and stop some of the bleeding. "One of the Sentinels alerted Canto Bight security that you're here and causing a ruckus. They're on high alert and looking for you. You've got to get out of here."

"What about you?"

She shook her head. "I'm nobody. I won't show up in any of their records. Even if some member of the old Imperial high command were here, Aphra and I made sure I'd be a ghost. But you're one of the most famous people in the galaxy, Skywalker. I'm shocked you didn't get stopped at the door."

"Aphra helped me with that, too." Luke struggled to get to his feet. "She must have really enjoyed playing matchmaker."

"We'll thank her later. Let's go."

"Wait." His original mission here clicked into his mind. "My father's helmet. His mask."

"It's not important, Luke, we have to go."

He turned to her as alarms started sounding throughout the chamber. He could hear it in the corridor behind him, too. "Mara, if that mask falls into the wrong hands, who knows what might happen as a result? It's a poisoned seed, and anywhere it's planted, something terrible is going to grow. I can't let that happen."

Mara studied him for a long moment, then closed her eyes and sighed. "Okay. Fine. I'll help you get it. Then we're out of here."

He smiled. "I love you."

She gave him a coy look. "Of _course_ you do_._"

He kissed her quickly. "Come on."

* * *

"Yes, Mistress," said the voice of IA-5 in Mara's ear as she ran with Luke. "I have indeed located the vault in question."

"Thank you." Mara smiled a little. Aphra had done a commendable job putting the droid back together. A few scans of its memory banks, carefully reconstructed with the omission of any mention of Emperor Palpatine or his orders, had shown that Mara now had their complete loyalty. Its personality had not changed, and in fact, they had apologized to Mara.

> "You're sorry?" Mara had been checking her lightsaber before styling her hair. "What for?"
> 
> "I am unsure, Mistress." The voice of the droid, no less genteel and refined as before, still conveyed some worry. "I know that parts of my memory are missing, but I feel... I feel I must have wronged you."
> 
> "You did. I had to take strong measures against you because you betrayed me. I helped put you back together because you're a good partner, and... and I felt bad. You didn't choose your programming. It was imposed on you. I've... been learning a lot about that kind of thing, lately."
> 
> "Ah." The droid had moved closer, and had begun using a small articulated arm to help Mara with her hair. "Well. It sounds like I deserved it, Mistress, and I hope it will not happen again."

Mara's mind came back to the present as she and Luke used the maintenance stairs rather than the lift to get to the right level. "IA-5, what's the guard situation?"

"Oh, that is no longer a concern, Mistress. I found them to be rather unruly clients, and served them expediently."

Mara made a face. "Are they dead?"

Luke's eyes snapped to her before going back to the door he pushed open to get them into the corridor.

"No, Mistress. I could not gather any information on the effectiveness of my methods were they to expire."

Mara sighed. _Some things never change. _"Keep them unconscious. We're on our way." She turned to Luke. "They may have backup here any minute."

"I think I know how to deal with that." He dug in his pocket for a comlink. It was a handheld model, bulkier than what Mara had in her ear. "Threepio?"

"Oh! Master Luke!" The voice of a prissy droid came from the small speaker. "Thank the Maker! I was oh so terribly worried!"

"Nevermind that, Threepio, trip the alarm."

"Has your mission been successful, then?"

"It—"

"Because Princess Leia did give me very explicit instructions to _ensure _that your mission is successful, and—"

"It's about to be, but it _won't _be if you don't _flip that switch!"_

"Oh! Yes! At once!" Moments later, the evacuation alarm began to chime throughout the casino. Mara smirked.

"Nice. Not too subtle, but nice." She gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow, then gasped when Luke almost collapsed. "Oh. Right. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," he wheezed, taking a deep breath. "They'll heal. Let's keep going."

Mara nodded. She wanted to let him rest, if for no other reason than it would give her another moment to spend with him. But this was neither the time nor the place.

When they came into the vault's antechamber, they did indeed find four human guards strewn across the floor, one of whom was twitching and groaning. IA-5 floated in the center of the room, turning towards them as they entered. The red lens in the center of the dark orb lingered on Luke Skywalker.

Mara paused, looking closely at the droid. "IA-5..." Her hand moved for her lightsaber.

The droid's lens moved to her. "Ah. Mistress Mara. I do not believe I am acquainted with your companion."

A sigh of relief passed Mara's lips. "I'll tell you later. We need to get through that—"

Luke was already across the room, his lightsaber cutting out the vault door's locking mechanism.

"...door." Mara closed her eyes and shook her head. "IA-5 might have been able to slice that, you know."

"Look, they already know I'm here," Luke told her, stepping back and reaching out with his hand to pull the heavy door open with the Force. "They know I'm a Jedi. A lightsaber cutting open their vault isn't going to raise any extra eyebrows."

"They may know you're here, but deliberately cutting up one of their vaults would make you an intergalactic criminal."

Luke laughed a little, moving into the vault, with Mara hot on his heels. "I was a leading member of the Rebel Alliance. I'm used to being a wanted man."

"Let's put aside how much you're wanted," she said wryly, squeezing his shoulder. "Canto Bight may be an independent source of funds and scum, but they do have a far reach. You don't need extra bounty hunters on your tail."

Luke was looking down at something, and Mara followed his gaze. There, looking back at them, was the empty helmet and mask of Darth Vader. It was twisted and broken, marred by fire, but it was unmistakable. For a moment, Mara heard that mechanical breath, felt that presence — cold and hateful, yet deeply sad and filled with regret. Luke's hand moved slowly up to take hers on his shoulder. Their fingers entwined. She didn't need to ask — he'd heard it, too.

He turned to her. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if Canto Bight security sees me here, with a lightsaber, and maybe that holocron over there—" Mara moved her chin towards a small and ornate-looking cube on a nearby shelf. "—they'll think it was me doing the thieving, and you can spin the story that you came here to stop me."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you won't have any extra heat coming down on you, or your family." She studied his face. "Think about it. How old is your nephew? A very patient bounty hunter will know when to try and snatch him. Or worse."

Luke's grip tightened on her hand. "I see your point." He paused. "Is... is that what you would have done?"

Mara swallowed hard. "Maybe. At some point. But not now." She returned the squeeze of his grip. "Not ever. You hear me? I'm never going to fulfill that order. No matter how loud he gets, no matter what he chases me with. I am _not _going to kill you, Luke Skywalker."

He turned to her and kissed her, his right arm around her shoulders to pull her close, his left at his side as it held his father's helmet. Mara wrapped her arms around his midsection, under his damaged ribs, as she kissed him back. The alarms were chiming, voices were shouting out in the corridors, and the deck of the casino was tilting under them slightly. But in that moment, Mara felt completely at peace, and more like herself than she had in... she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like this. If ever.

When they broke, Luke took a look around the vault. Then, he grabbed a small pendant, and reached out to fasten its chain around her neck. Mara blinked, then looked down at the small tag hanging from it. It claimed that the pendant contained water from the location of the first Jedi Temple.

"Something to remember me by," Luke said with a smile.

"You keep showering me with precious artifacts, Skywalker, and I may not want to leave at all."

Luke grinned at her. Then, he and Mara felt the presence of others entering the room. She turned, grabbing her lightsaber from the holster on her back and igniting its blade. The holocron flew from its resting place on the shelf into her other hand. There were four of Canto Bight's security coming through the door, blasters up.

"Stop her!" It was the voice of Luke Skywalker behind her, more shrill than usual, the sound of a hysterical man. "Don't let her escape with that precious relic!"

_Okay, Skywalker, _she thought, fighting down a smile, _tone it down._

_I told you, I've never done this before._

_Well, thankfully, you've got me here._

"I'm going through that door," Mara said out loud as she advanced. "Does that mean I have to go through _you?_" She raised her weapon and the guards backed off. Luke's lightsaber sprang to life behind her, and she spun to parry his strike. They carried their duel out into the fight. No, not a duel — a dance. They were dancing again, to the staccato chiming of the alarms and the beat of running feet throughout the ship. Crowds parted for them and curious, fearful eyes tracked them as they made their way through the various corridors. IA-5, at one point, chimed in through the comlink concealed in one of her earrings.

"Mistress, shall I incapacitate your companion?"

"Absolutely not!" Mara grinned. "Can't you see how much _fun _we're having?"

"I... ah." IA-5 sounded chagrined. "I see."

"Go fire up the _Nightsister _and bring her to the upper deck. We're leaving."

They ran through the casino floor. Mara tipped over sabacc tables. Luke picked up bottles of liquor with the Force and tossed them in her direction. She laughed as bubbling wine splashed across her dress. She responded by hoisting up a tray of frosted sweets with her own abilities and sent it spinning in his direction. He split it in half with his lightsaber only to get pelted all over his shirt and trousers with white frosting. The sight only made her laugh harder. Luke turned a shade of red and gave chase. Their blades clashed, they circled one another, their eyes met.

_Is this how you imagined our first date? _she thought as she gave him some ground.

_Honestly, I figured something would be on fire by now._ Through the sweat and the obvious pain in his ribs, Luke was smiling warmly.

_The night is young, Skywalker._

She winked as she heard the familiar whine of the _Nightsister _outside. She turned to look, then headed out onto the balcony, Luke right behind her. The door slammed shut and she stopped just shy of jumping from the casino to her ship.

"I don't want to go."

Luke had come to a stop, his lightsaber held down and to one side, as hers was. She turned, repeating what she'd said.

"I don't want to go. I don't want to leave you."

"I know." He moved to her. "You're right, though; this is the right thing to do."

"That doesn't mean I don't have to like it."

"Well, I don't either," Luke said. "But we don't have much time, and we can't keep up the story if we keep standing here looking deeply into each other's ey—"

Mara leaned into him and kissed him hard. In his stunned silence that followed, she turned and jumped onto the dorsal hull of her ship. The small docking port opened and she grinned.

"I may not kill you, Luke Skywalker," she shouted over the roar of her ship's engines, "but don't you _dare _go dying on me."

"Stay safe," he shouted back to her. "I'll see you again."

"Not if I see you first!" She turned and jumped down into the _Nightsister. _"IA-5, get us on an orbital escape vector." She made her way to the bridge, sat at the controls to follow the course her companion had calculated, and pushed the ship into hyperspace.

"Mistress Mara, you are injured." The droid floated nearby, examining her wounds. "Remand yourself to the cabin at once. I shall assist you in medical attention."

"I don't remember you being this fussy before I had to rebuild you," Mara groused, getting herself up back out of the seat and making her way down to the cabin. "Did you get some new programming while I wasn't looking?"

"Hardly," the droid replied. "There is some data on wounds and their associated pain levels missing from my data banks, and I am eager to recompile that data. I do hope my extrapolations of such data where your person is concerned was not the cause for my previous deactivation."

"No, it wasn't that," Mara sighed as she sat on her bed. "It had more to do with—"

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

For a moment, Mara's vision swam and a wave of nausea hit her harder than the headbutt of the Iktotchi on Tattooine, which felt like a lifetime ago. She doubled over and retched, ending up on her hands and knees on the floor. All of the strength left her limbs and she collapsed. Tears burned her eyes and she pounded the deck in frustration.

She was past this. She'd gotten _past _this. Despite them cutting her as she fought them, regardless of how many times they'd shouted at her, she'd destroyed every single one of those Sentinels. Smashed every face of Palpatine leering at her. She had saved Luke's life. She had chosen him. She _loved _him.

And it wasn't enough.

In spite of every fact she knew about Luke Skywalker, regardless of the feelings that welled up within her when she thought of him, and especially when she was near him — this was still in her way. If she got near him again, if she allowed him to get close to her again, what might happen? 

What would she do in order to stop that damned voice?

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to sit up. She rested her head on the side of her bed and looked out the window into the tunnel of hyperspace.

"No," she growled, tasting the bile in her throat. "No, I won't."

But what _was _she going to do?

She looked towards the holocron she'd taken from Canto Bight, and moved to reach for it. When her fingers brushed the side of it, it came to life, illuminating the cabin in a soft greenish glow, similar to the color of Luke's lightsaber. She sat back in alarm, and blinked, as the form of a bearded Jedi with long hair appeared in the space above the cube.

"Greetings," the hologram said in a quiet yet powerful voice. "I am Qui-Gon Jinn, Jedi Master. Within this holocron are some of my records and recollection on the Living Force."

Mara Jade shifted how she was sitting on the cabin floor, crossing her legs, staring at the hologram. "I'm... my name's Mara."

She knew the holocrons were pre-programmed, that their holographic interfaces were designed to be interactive, containing the knowledge and some of the personality of those who'd recorded their knowledge within them. Yet when the image of the Jedi Master smiled and opened his arms in a gesture of greeting, Mara couldn't help but feel a bit more at ease.

"Hello, Mara. Tell me — what would you like to know?"

She bit her lip, and looked out of the viewport. The _Nightsister _had emerged from hyperspace, and was moving into orbit around the moon Aphra was using for her safehouse. She turned back to the hologram.

"Let me start by telling you about the voice in my head..."


	7. Unknown Regions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Far beyond the borders of the galaxy, Mara Jade tries to find her own purpose outside of the Emperor's last command. Yet even in the vastness of uncharted space, one cannot always escape the consequences of one's actions.
> 
> Also, Mara is reminded that space is big. Like... REALLY big.

Sometimes, Mara thought, you could be forgiven for forgetting how vast space really was.

The _Nightsister_ had a decent hyperdrive, but reaching the edge of the Outer Rim still took a good deal of time. After her latest stopover for more supplies and fuel, not far from Dantooine, it had taken her the better part of a week to arrive near the Unknown Regions, hopping from one star system to another as much as the range of the drive would allow with a single jump.

A remote gas-mining platform was her next stop, a spindly structure that looked like several metal slices of bread skewered by a giant durasteel toothpick. The central column bristled with sensors and shield generators, as the platform was in the heart of a nebula and the radiation of the stellar phenomena could wreck havoc on systems and personnel without some protective measures. Mara brought the _Nightsister _out of hyperdrive and tried to ignore the indicator warning her of the low fuel status. The platform was one of the few of its kind this close to the Unknown Regions, and Mara knew of it mostly from her time with smugglers and bounty hunters, learning how to blend in with such fringe elements while hunting down Jedi. 

She had tried going back to Talon Karrde and his group of smugglers for a time. It had made for a few interesting years, but every time her thoughts were broken by those seething and inexorable words—

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

—she knew getting close to Luke again was taking a horrific risk. To say nothing of his family. Luke, at one point, had sent Mara a short holo-recording of his nephew, Ben, taking a few tentative steps. It had warmed Mara's heart, until seconds later, she realized she was thinking of how much leverage she could exert on Skywalker by kidnapping the child. After throwing up, Mara had asked Karrde for an assignment in the Outer Rim, and she stayed there until, years later, she realized there was a way for her to help Luke while staying far away from him.

She was going to help him find the first Jedi temple.

He had mentioned it several times during their exchange of messages across the vastness of the galaxy, and while he tracked down scraps of lore within what remained of the Empire, she could look in the Unknown Regions themselves. Sure, it seemed like finding a microscopic needle in a haystack the size of a planet, but maybe the Force could act as some kind of magnet.

That had been her theory, at least. Now, several more years had gone by. The last she'd heard Luke talk of Ben, it was a mock complaint that the boy was as tall as the Jedi. And Mara was still making small jumps through the perilous and barely-charted corridors between the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions, trying to even get started with her search in earnest.

She wondered if, at some point, she should have traded in the _Nightsister _for a ship better suited for exploration. Something that could jump farther, carry more supplies... 

Another indicator lit up on her panel, followed by the voice of the station's traffic controller, speaking Sy Bisti. "Approaching vessel, identify yourself and state your business."

The voice was cool and detached, and there was a deliberate precision behind the syllables that told Mara the detachment was not boredom or a lackadaisical nature. Mara got the distinct impression she was being closely watched and analyzed. Something about the tone and measured meter of the voice struck a chord, as well. She shook off the reverie she'd been in. She needed to focus.

"This is Mara Jade, pilot of the _Nightsister,_" Mara said, also in Sy Bisti. "I'm am an independent traveler. I'm here to refuel and resupply. I have brought goods for barter."

There was a pause. "You may dock in berth 14. Welcome to Platform _Vanguard_."

"Thank you, _Vanguard_ control." She closed the communication, let out a breath, and turned to IA-5. "Who do you think they're a vanguard _for_, though?"

"I am certain I could ask some of the denizens of the platform, Mistress," the floating droid replied. "I would enjoy servicing new life forms, after all."

Mara shook her head. "I didn't know that was the platform's name. I wanted to find a place to get my bearings and find a safe route through the kind of things that make the Unknown Regions so unknown - solar storms, black holes, wandering pulsars, that kind of thing. Karrde just gave me the coordinates of this place, warned me about the nebula's tendency to mess with hyperdrives, and said I need to 'be nice'."

"Must I also 'be nice', Mistress?"

Mara eyed the droid. "I'd prefer it, yes. Try not to cause too much trouble. Stay with the ship and let me know if anyone approaches or throws meaningful looks in our direction."

"Yes, Mistress. And should we encounter trouble?"

"As long as you are not _starting _trouble... you have access to the ship's systems and weapons. Defend the ship until I can make it back."

"With pleasure!" Bobbing once, the droid floated away, humming to themselves. Mara shook her head. The droid's personalty, at times, seemed more subdued than before she'd been forced to attack it a few years ago, but for the most part, IA-5 had not really changed. And not once since that day on Canto Bight had IA-5 tried to attack her or signal Imperial forces.

According to smugglers like Talon Karrde, the chance of running into Imperials near the Unknown Regions or out in Wild Space was even more slim now than it had been during the Empire's heyday, or back before the crippling loss they'd suffered at the Battle of Jakku. But just because the Galactic Concordance had been signed and the Empire officially disbanded did not mean loyalist forces would not continue to operate, trying to find allies or hunt down traitors. 

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

And as far as anyone loyal to Palpatine was concerned, Mara was one of those traitors.

That was why she left IA-5 with the ship, rather than having the droid accompany her. The ship did not have the capability of giving Mara live updates of scanner information or report on anyone approaching while they were docked. There was also the fact that if the droid were following Mara and looking for trouble on their own without the ship's exterior scanners, they couldn't search for the nearest HoloNet relays.

As Mara docked the ship, IA-5 had already extended their interfacing tool and was beginning to turn the _Nightsister'_s comm relay in the most likely direction. Mara rose from the controls, checked her equipment — blaster, lightsaber, a few smoke grenades, comlink, holodisk, tool pouch, hidden knife in her boot, pendant around her neck — and headed for the hatch.

When she exited her ship, she found two aliens waiting for her. Both were humanoid in their body shapes and configurations, one male-bodied, the other female. Their skin was blue in pigmentation, their hair shimmering jet black. The most striking thing about them, though, were their eyes — glowing red, and regarding Mara with cool calculation.

Mara almost froze. _Chiss. _That was the feeling she'd had when in contact with platform control — familiarity. Grand Admiral Thrawn had been of this race, and after evading Faro over Coruscant several years ago, Mara had looked up some of Thrawn's broadcasts and other information on him to learn more. 

"Mara Jade," the female said in Sy Bisti, "welcome to Platform Vanguard. I am Senior Lieutenant Vah'nya."

"Thank you," Mara replied. "My ship is need of fuel, and I'd like to replenish my stores of food. I have some goods aboard that may be of interest. Military-grade logistical equipment, mostly."

"Any contributions you wish to make would be most welcome." Vah'nya smiled a little. "If you follow me, we will take a closer look at your manifest."

"Certainly." Mara gave the male a glance as they walked by. He seemed to merely be standing guard. As they left the berth, Mara heard some orders being given, and deck-hands approached her ship with cables and hoses to begin the refueling process. 

The platform was laid out in a very straightforward, austere manner. While the signage was in an unfamiliar language, Mara recognized symbols and directional indicators that, if she were in a hurry, she could find her way back to the _Nightsister_ without too much trouble. After a few turns, Vah'nya touched a control outside of a closed door. She and the person on the other end had a short exchange, again in a language unfamiliar to Mara, and then the door opened.

Standing behind a desk stacked with both hard copy reports and dataslates was a human male, his brown hair going a little gray at the temples, and he seemed to be sorting through several other reports. He set down his work and looked up, smiling at the sight of Vah'nya. They again spoke in what Mara was gathering was the Chiss's own language, and when Vah'nya introduced Mara, the man moved around the desk and spoke in Basic.

"Mara Jade, nice to meet you." He had a bit of an accent. Mara had heard if before. Some of Talon Karrde's operatives hailed from Wild Space, and they had similar accents. "Name's Eli Vanto. Commander, at least in th' Chiss Defense Force."

Mara blinked. "I... how did you come to be here?"

"Kinda took the long way around," Eli said, running a hand through his hair. "I came up through the Empire, under Grand Admiral Thrawn. Got sent to th' Chiss by him to assist 'em during the Grysk campaign an' with a few other things. You're the first human other than myself I've seen out this way in a while, though. What brings you to th' _Vanguard_?"

"Stopping for fuel and food on my way to the Unknown Regions. I'm collecting cartographic data."

Eli nodded. "The Imperial maps were always a bit dodgy when it came to the Unknown Regions an' Wild Space. I take it the New Republic's interested in makin' a trip out here, doin' some outreach?"

Mara shrugged. "No idea. I'm an independent operator. I mean, maybe I'll get some information out to the New Republic, but there's a lot of territory out there. Plenty of room for someone looking to start a new life."

In Mara's mind, that new life meant finding the Jedi Temple and giving Luke a way to align whatever charts or star compasses he had more easily so he could find it, and her. Then, maybe together, they could find a way to get rid of Palpatine's presence in her mind. While it tended to be less frequent—

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

—it was still there.

"Well, I'll tell ya what," Eli said with a smile. "You give me some updated information on the Outer Rim near here, from the Imperial or Republic perspective, an' I'll see to it you get everything ya need. Though Vah'nya says you've got some logistical equipment, too?"

"Sensors and power converters, mostly." Mara handed a dataslate with her manifest to Eli. "A few things any serious operation could use, but some people never think of."

"Thankfully, you're talking t' someone who lives an' breaths logistics. Have a seat, let me go over some things."

Mara nodded and sat near the desk as Eli went over the manifest. She pulled out her comlink. "IA-5, anything to report?"

"No, Mistress, our hosts have been very respectful." IA-5 somehow managed to sound cordial and disappointed at the same time. "There is nothing of note to bring to your attention save two messages from the HoloNet. Shall I forward them to your disk?"

"Please do." Mara turned her attention to Eli. "Should I step outside, so I'm not distracting you?"

"I'd appreciate it," the quartermaster replied, not looking up from his records. Mara nodded and walked out into the corridor.

Leaning against the wall, she produced her holo-projector, a small disk that fit in her palm. After a moment, a tinny voice said "Message 1 of 2" and the disk emitted a blue shaft of light. Within it appeared a holographic representation of Luke Skywalker. Mara felt her smile before the projection even began speaking, her free hand going to the pendant hanging around her neck. The small quantity of water within it gently shifted the pendant's weight as she held it.

"Hello, Mara. I'm not sure when you'll see this. I never am, but I know you will, and I'm glad." He paused. "The day I'm sending this is five years, to the day, that we first met on Endor. It's the fondest memory I have of anyone trying to kill me." He smiled a little, just for a moment. "It's been some time since the last time something like that happened. I'm still trying to piece together information from the texts. Lon San Tekka has been a help, and I've thought about reaching out to Aphra. She's a bit of a magnet for trouble, though, and I'm trying to keep a low profile. At least until I figure out where the new Jedi temple's going to be. Which is why I need to put these maps together." He rubbed the back of his head. Mara noted that his beard had grown in a bit more. "Anyway. I know you said you want to keep your distance, because you still hear that voice, but... when everything is put together, you'll be welcome. I know we can't change the past or undo things we've done, but you have the opportunity in the present to change things, if you want to. Remember... it's your choice, Mara. Trust the Force. I hope to hear from you soon." He paused. "I love you."

The image of Luke had gone blurry. Mara blinked, and raised her hand to wipe her eyes. The sight of him hurt her as much as it made her feel warm. She wanted to believe, now more than ever, that there was hope for change. Yet, the echoes of that persistent, poisonous voice rang in her ears, like the high-pitched tone that followed an explosion and, for some beings, never went away. Her mind drifted for a moment, as it often did, back to Canto Bight, and the few moments of joy she and Luke had shared, which felt as stolen as Darth Vader's mask, or the holocron in the _Nightsister_. 

Mara blinked again, and turned her attention back to the holo-projector. When she was back on her ship, she'd spend more time asking Qui-Gon about the Living Force and how she might be able to strengthen a connection with Luke, to the point they could communicate as they did before, being able to see each other... touch each other...

"Message 2 of 2."

The small image, this time, was of Aphra. She was crouching in front of something, fiddling with it, then she turned to Mara and gave a small, mock salute.

"Heya! How's my favorite murderer?" Mara chuckled a bit as Aphra held up her hands. "I know, I know, you gave up that life, but you can't not let me rib you just a _little _bit now and again. It's how I show people I care. It's charming. I think." The hologram of Aphra shrugged. "Anyway, I was just getting some Imperial comm relays up to functional levels when I came across a recent message. There isn't a whole lot of the Empire proper out there, but according to this, there's at least one Star Destroyer out in your area of the galaxy, and I thought you'd want to be aware of it." Aphra's face got serious. "It's the _Manticore. _Still under the command of Grand Admiral Faro. And it sounds like she's on the hunt for an Imperial traitor. So, ah... be on the lookout, I guess." Aphra looked around and drew her blaster. Mara heard something in the distance through the recording. "Oh, no. Um. So! Gotta go, hope you talk to the farm boy soon, hokay _bye!_" The recording winked out after what looked to be a quick exchange of blaster fire.

"Some things never change," Mara said to the empty air.

Mara furrowed her brow. Karyn Faro. Was she really out here, looking for the Emperor's Hand? She put the holo-projector back in her pocket as she thought. Vanto had also been a part of Thrawn's command crew, or so it seemed. She moved back into the office.

"Commander Vanto?"

"Was just about to call ya back in," the man said with a smile as he got to his feet. "Manifest looks good. Anything we can do to help ya, we'll do. Well, within reason, of course. An' please — call me Eli. No need t' stand on ceremony with me."

"Eli. I have a question," Mara replied. "What can you tell me about Karyn Faro?"

"The Commodore?" Eli blinked, seeming a little confused. "She could be a pretty severe type, sometimes, but Thrawn trusted her. She was his XO on the _Chimaera_ last I saw her."

"She commands the Eleventh Fleet, and holds the rank of Grand Admiral," Mara told him. "She was promoted to replace Thrawn after he disappeared."

Eli's face darkened. "Yeah. We... we still aren't sure where he is. I mean, it's a big universe, he could have ended up just about anywhere."

Mara nodded. "He was more than a commanding officer and mentor to you. He was... a friend."

He looked up at Mara, studying her face. "He _is _my friend. And friends aren't easy to come by out here."

"I understand," Mara told him. "Trust me. I ask about Admiral Faro because I have reason to believe she is somewhere in this area of space, and possibly looking for me."

Eli narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Now, why would she be on the lookout for ya?"

"She sees me as a traitor to the Empire."

"And are ya?"

It was a question asked frankly, and Mara gave a moment to consider Eli's tone and posture. She reached out, briefly, with the Force. He was taking her measure. He wasn't sensitive to the Force, himself, but he had skills of observation and the mind of a logician. Thrawn had taught him well. With no reason to lie, she met his gaze.

"The Emperor gave me a final command before the destruction of his Death Star. He told me to kill someone. I haven't killed them, and I have no intention of doing so."

"This person, yer target... they're a friend."

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

Mara felt a lump in her throat. "More than a friend."

Eli, slowly, nodded. "I see." He turned back to his desk, slowly pacing around it. "There was something that Thrawn understood that I don't think the Emperor ever did. People aren't machines. You can train 'em, guide 'em, encourage or even punish 'em, but they'll still do what they do. The Emperor never bothered to figure out why people do what they do, he just wanted to control 'em. Thrawn, on the other hand, he took the time to study the people he went up against. Their tactics, history, philosophy, even their art. Did the Emperor ever bother much with that?"

Mara blinked. "Why are you asking me?"

"You got your command straight from him. So you gotta have some first-hand experience, right?"

"I... yes, I did." First-hand experience with his hate-filled eyes, his rotten teeth, the smell of his ravaged and wrinkled skin, the way his finger would point towards her as if it would stab her in the eye at the slightest provocation — all of these things she knew. "And no, he never spent too much time studying anyone who wasn't a Jedi. And most of the Jedi materials got locked away or destroyed. So whenever he sent me out to find a Jedi, I had to find most of the information on my own."

Eli shook his head. "I might be biased, but he doesn't sound like he made a great boss."

Mara, in spite of herself, laughed. As she did, the door behind her opened, and the Chiss female who had introduced herself as Vah'nya entered. She and Eli had a brief exchange in the Chiss language, then both of them looked at Mara.

"Sounds like Faro's been hotter on yer trail than ya might have thought. The _Manticore_ just came into detection of _Vanguard_'s long-range scanners."

Mara swallowed. Taking on an Imperial Star Destroyer in her gunship was not an appealing concept. She turned to Vah'nya. "What's the relationship like between the Empire and your people?"

"It is... cordial." Vah'nya looked between Eli and Mara. "We do not recognize their sovereignty in what they call the Unknown Regions. This platform is considered a part of the Chiss Ascendency. Any action taken against us would be an act of war."

"The Empire isn't what it used to be, either," Eli put in. "A Star Destroyer's pretty potent, but if the _Manticore_ is out here all by herself, it'd be suicidal to touch off a conflict with th' Chiss. Admiral Ar'alani's battle group is just a few jumps away. And th' _Vanguard_'s capable of holding her own for a long time."

"Do you wish the asylum of the Chiss Ascendency?"

Eli stared at Vah'nya. "Are you allowed to...?"

Vah'nya switched to the Chiss language, and as she and Eli spoke, Mara weighed her options. Staying on the platform had some appeal. She'd been out in the vast darkness of space, alone save for her droid, for a long time. Deep down, however, she knew that was not going to happen, for three reasons. Firstly, she'd been on the move for so long that standing still felt like a very strange, remote concept. On top of that, a great deal of Palpatine's notes indicated that the roots of the Jedi were deep in the Unknown Regions. If she was going to help Luke, she had to keep moving. And finally—

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

"I appreciate the offer," said Mara, "but I'll be fine. Keep the Imperials talking, and give me some time to start making jumps. Is the _Nightsister _refueled?"

"Yes," Vah'nya said, walking closer to Mara. "We have provided you with several months worth of supplies, as well. Not to mention whatever star charts are not restricted by intelligence protocols. However... you prefer to continue on alone? You would be safe here."

Mara blinked. This alien, who had barely spoken a dozen words to her before now, was looking at her with an odd mix of compassion and fascination. Gently, Mara reached out with the Force... 

...and found a kindred mind. Alien, to be certain, but sensitive to the Force. It was barely there, something that had faded over time, but it was unmistakable. The two stepped back from one another, staring at one another. Eli looked between them, at first bewildered, then nodded.

"You a Jedi, Mara Jade?"

Mara looked at Eli and shook her head. "I hunted them. I killed Jedi for the Emperor." She paused, looking down. "I'm not proud of it."

Eli studied her for a long moment. "Admiral Thrawn told me once that the Chiss name for navigators, people like Vah'nya, is _ozyly-esehembo - _in Basic, it roughly translates to 'sky-walker.'"

For a moment, Mara stood in shock. Then she closed her eyes and laughed a little.

"Really struck me as funny, too," Eli went on, "considerin' he met a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker during th' Clone Wars..."

Mara laughed harder. Eli and Vah'nya exchanged a look.

"Let's just say," Mara told them after taking a moment to recover, "that the Force is more than just moving things around with your mind or finding ways through space. I've been learning a lot about it, and one of the things I've learned is that it's a lot bigger than all of us." She looked to Vah'nya. "I appreciate the generosity of the Chiss Ascendency, and I'd ask for one more thing: information on your navigators, and how you come to earn that name."

Vah'nya soberly nodded. "With a warning: it is the most closely guarded secret of the Chiss. It must not fall into the wrong hands."

"You can trust me," Mara said. "One... sky-walker... to another."

Vah'nya walked over and clasped Mara's hands in hers as Eli got on the comlink to the Chiss in control of the station. Not long after, the _Nightsister _was in flight, and as IA-5 plotted their next series of short jumps, Mara began to record her reply to Luke.

"I'm not sure when you'll get this," she began, "but I have so much to tell you..."

* * *

"No wonder these Regions are so unknown," Mara observed as she crawled out from under the _Nightsister's _command console. "A trip this distance in the Mid-Rim would take hours, not months."

"The sidereal phenomena _do _seem to be more prevalent in this area of the galaxy, Mistress. The lack of reliable charts also presents a sizable challenge." IA-5 floated near the console, watching Mara as she wiped grease from her brow. "The scooping system is working at maximum efficiency, however. We shall be ready for our next jump presently."

"Thank you." Mara got up and stretched, rubbing her temples. The hydrogen gasses being ejected by the star were being collected by the refueling system. Along with some rudimentary star-charts of some regions outside of Chiss space, Mara had gotten some instruction on modifications to make to her ship, including the 'scoop' and a long-range sensor array that helped them detected stable, stellar bodies with large enough mass shadows to serve as anchor points for hyperspace jumps. She checked the latest data. Within range was what could be a habitable planet. Or a dwarf star. It was unlikely to be something like the black hole they had encountered last month, or the pulsar the month before that. At least encounters like that helped them not repeat their mistakes.

"I do apologize, Mistress, that I have not made more headway in translating the charts from Senior Lieutenant Vah'nya."

"Cheunh isn't exactly a simple language," Mara replied, making herself some food. "And you're not a protocol droid."

"Indeed not, Mistress. Through I am happy to assist you with your navigational difficulties."

Mara sighed. She moved down into the cabin, taking the holocron from its shelf, and sat cross-legged on the floor. After a moment of studying the cube, she activated it and set it in front of her.

"I am Qui-Gon Jinn," said the projection of the Jedi Master when it appeared. "Hello again, Mara Jade."

"I'm continuing to struggle," she said, resting her face in her hands for a moment. "It's difficult to concentrate when I keep hearing—"

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

She winced. "... I keep flying off-course. I've had to avoid event horizons, pull out of gravity wells... I've even had to outrun what looked like a bunch of space-whales. And I'm no closer to where I need to be. I feel stupid. Or powerless. Or both."

"I can teach you about the Living Force and its connection to the Cosmic Force," the holographic Qui-Gon said. "The knowledge contained in this holocron beyond those subjects is limited."

Mara sighed. She'd heard that a lot over the years. "I know. I am trying to use the Force, some kind of Force, Living or Cosmic or whatever, to find the first Jedi Temple. Luke told me in one of his messages that he's looking for it. It wouldn't be anywhere in Chiss space, otherwise they would have told me. I've been jumping from one system to the next since I left their borders. I have this feeling that if I were a Jedi, I might be able to reach out through the Force and find it."

"Why do you think you need to be a Jedi to use the Living Force?"

Mara furrowed her brows. "Well, it's a Jedi temple, and I never became one... in fact, I hunted and killed a lot of them." Mara closed her eyes. For a moment, she heard a lot of screaming, saw a lot of disbelief and hatred. _And I was good at it, _was something she did not tell the image of the dead Jedi in front of her.

"What is your goal?"

Opening her eyes again, Mara sighed. She toyed with the pendant than hung around her neck. "I want to help Luke find it. Maybe, with what's there, he can help me. Or I can help myself, with this persistent voice in my head."

"Remember that the Living Force is what connects all living things in the galaxy. Hence the name."

"I know that. We've been over that several times. We've talked about this for years." Unable to contain her frustration, Mara stood and began to pace. 

"It takes extremely powerful adepts in the Force to create connections between—"

"Skip it." Mara groaned. "This isn't about how I still hear Palpatine's voice or that 'astral projection' stuff that apparently used to happen between me and Luke." Remembering those moments made Mara's heart ache. Even when, the first time it had happened, she'd taken a swing at him, intending to cut him down. The memories of who she had been felt like scenes from someone else's life. Someone Mara barely recognized.

"No, we are discussing how you move from where you are now to where you wish to be."

"I felt that was kind of obvious." Mara sniffed. She began to idly toy with her pendant.

"The Living Force exists most strongly in the present moment," said the voice of Qui-Gon. "Here and now, with what is in front of us, and what is at hand."

"I know, I've heard you say that a dozen times already, tell me something I _don't _know."

"Here and now," the holocron repeated, "with that is in front of us, and what is at hand."

Mara spun to face the projection with a surge of fury. "Are you _broken_, or something? Stop repeating—"

It was then she noticed that the projection wasn't looking right at her, maintaining contact with her eye-line as it usually did. It was looking lower. At her hand. And the pendant she was gripping.

She looked down, opening her hand, looking at the droplet-shaped crystal and the water that rested inside of it.

Water that, according to the tag tied to it for the Canto Bight auction, was taken from the world of the first Jedi temple.

Gasping, she sat cross-legged again, facing the holocron, the pendant in both hands.

"What do I do?"

"Concentrate," the projection of Qui-Gon said quietly. "Still your mind. Let all other distractions fade. Focus on what is in front of you. The path will reveal itself."

It was fairly generic, as advice went. Yet Mara couldn't shake the impression that something had changed. That she was, in fact, being told something by the Force. So, closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and waited.

She almost missed it. It was very gentle tug. It felt like a string was attached to the top of her head, and someone far away, to her left and above her, was pulling on it.

She shot to her feet. With a quick "Thank you!" to the holocron, she all but jumped to the _Nightsister's _upper deck, running to the controls.

"Mistress?" IA-5 sounded concerned. "Are you well?"

"Very! Get ready to plot a hyperspace vector." Closing her eyes and clasping the pendant again, she repeated the meditation from before. When she felt the tug again, she moved her hand to the controls and adjusted the course of the ship until the tugging was happening in her chest, as if the string was tied around her heart and pulling her dead ahead.

She opened her eyes. "The closest mass shadow along this bearing."

Moments later, IA-5 spoke up. "The course is set, Mistress!"

"Then let's get started." She pushed the controls for the hyperdrive forward, plunging the _Nightsister _further into the Unknown Regions.

* * *

"Luke," Mara said to her holo-recorder with a wide smile, "I did it. I found it. Just in case, I'm going to send you the coordinates, as well as I can figure them. I think you mentioned having a Jedi compass or something. Maybe this will help." She paused. "I was thinking of staying here, at the Temple, but... I've thought about it, and I'm ready to take another risk, rather than staying here, where I believe it'd be safe. If your offer of joining your next generation of Jedi is open, I'm in." She bit her lip. "I've missed you, I've done what I came here to do, and... well, to be honest, I'm tired of being afraid of what might happen next. I'm coming home. I'm coming back to you." She smiled again. "I love you."

Turning off the recording and sending it along, she turned to IA-5. "Okay. Best way for us to get back is through Chiss space. It'll be easier for us to get to someplace we've been before, so let's see what we can do about that."

"I have a system plotted, Mistress," said IA-5, "just on the outskirts of Chiss territory. The location is the platform designated '_Rearguard_'."

"Rearguard, Vanguard... the Chiss like to make sure people know they're protected, don't they? Well, let's get going. How's the route?"

"Relatively unhindered, Mistress. As we are no longer restricted by not having accurate data, and are further from Wild Space, the way is, for the most part, clear."

"Good." Sighing a bit, Mara sat and coaxed the _Nightsister _into hyperspace. 

It was only three days later that Mara was about to make the final jump to the Rearguard platform. She had been practicing her Cheuh. She wondered if she might get to see Vah'nya or Vanto as she went back through their territory.

She took a deep breath, and said "_ozyly-esehembo_" for about the fifth time since breakfast.

"Your pronunciation is passable at the very least, Mistress," IA-5 commented. "I do hope the Chiss do not find any mistakes insulting."

"I can always apologize in Sy Bisti," Mara replied. "Either way, I think things are finally looking up for us."

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

The _Nightsister _suddenly quaked under her, and alarms began to wail. She grabbed for the controls, but before she could get her bearings on what was happening, the mottled blue corridor of hyperspace collapsed into starlines, which shrank as two all-too-familiar shapes leapt into view in front of her. One was an Interdictor-class Star Destroyer. The other, an Imperial Star Destroyer with a rather distinctive mythical animal design etched into its hull.

"I spoke _way _too soon," Mara said. She strapped in and eyed the Interdictor, feeding power to the engines and turrets. "IA-5! Plot our next jump!"

"I have already begun, Mistress!"

Within moments, several TIEs, including the Defenders left over from Thrawn's project, were putting themselves between Mara and the Interdictor. Whenever she tried to line up a shot with her torpedoes, at least two of the starfighters got in her path, opening fire with their lasers and causing her to turn away. She rammed a couple, only to have another taking shots at her in the next heartbeat. Trying to keep track of the attacking TIEs and avoid their lines of attack while adjusting the automated turrets of her ship to return fire was an overwhelming task, and Mara was soon sweating and grinding her teeth.

"I am assuming control of the turrets, Mistress," said IA-5. "Please maintain our evasive maneuvers."

"Get our course plotted!"

"If we are destroyed, plotting the course will be moot," the droid replied coolly. "Besides, you cannot shoot to the rear and look ahead at the same time."

Mara closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She stretched out with the Force, and gave up conscious control of the ship. Her hands moved of their own accord, making hairpin turns and launching concussion missiles. She had no idea how long the battle went on. 

Until, suddenly, the ship rumbled and shook, and began to tremble.

"What happened?" Her eyes opened and she turned to see IA-5, one of their small panels open and spitting sparks, disconnect from a console and float back, shuddering.

"They have-ave disa-ay-abled our w-weapons sssssystems Mi-Mi-Mistress," the droid managed, "u-u-using ionnnnnn cannons. Theyyyyyyy have la-la-locked on theirrrrrrrrrr ta-ta-tractor bbbbbbeam."

Mara grunted as she tried to turn the ship. In some cases, a ship could do some basic maneuvers even when in the grip of a tractor beam, and if she could align the _Nightsister _to launch some ordnance...

"Fu-fu-forgive meeeeeee, Misssstress," came IA-5's voice. "I have fa-fa-failed you..."

With a final growl of defiance, Mara shut down the engines, left her seat, and went to IA-5, who was now rolling across the floor. She didn't know a great deal about the droid's internal workings, but over the years she had learned enough for some basic maintenance.

"Well, I'm not going to fail _you_," she said, sitting on the deck and reaching for her tools. "I'm going to fix you, because I have the feeling I'm going to need you."

A few minutes later, Mara was sitting alone on her command deck, legs crossed and eyes closed, when she felt the unmistakable clang of her ship being docked with the _Manticore._

She reached out with the Force, and shut off the internal lights.

Several stormtroopers came on board, weapons drawn, activating the low-light vision filters in their helmets. They moved in a standard pattern, their training keeping them in formation, ready to open fire at the slightest sign of trouble.

They never stood a chance.

The darkness was thrown back by Mara's lightsaber, and amidst the short-lived chaos in her cargo bay, she came away without so much as a carbon burn. She moved to the hatch and peered outside. More stormtroopers were waiting. She reached into her tool pouch, pulled out a smoke grenade, and tossed it into the hangar bay. When it exploded, she called on the Force, and darted across the deck as fast as she could. There were a few shouts after her, but she was in the corridor before any pursuers could close the distance. A quick swipe of her lightsaber brought down the blast door.

The deck lurched beneath her, and she realized the ship had gone to hyperspace. That was concerning, but it didn't matter. She had a plan... sort of. It involved leading the ship's crew and troopers on a chase through the ship, then doubling back to the hangar bay, disabling the tractor beam, and making her escape. She wasn't exactly sure how she was going to accomplish this, but she had a good familiarity with the internal layout of Star Destroyers, and she figured that the auxiliary bridge might be the place to go. Or at least, give the Imperials the impression that she was heading there. 

So she weaved through the corridors, called for lifts only to abandon them, and shimmied up through access shafts until she was near the auxiliary bridge. A few lightsaber slashes through stormtroopers had officers raising alarms. The moment she could duck out of sight, she called upon the Force. In the past, she had been able to use it to cloud the perceptions of others. It wasn't invisibility; others just tended to look past or around her, as if there was a Mara-shaped hole in the world they couldn't look at. Focusing on maintaining this camouflage, she began to retrace her steps, taking different paths back down to the hangar deck.

As she rounded the corner and cut down a couple more stormtroopers, she came through the corridor opposite the blast door she had lowered during her exit, and turned to trigger the same heavy barrier behind her to block the way she'd come.

**"You will kill Luke Skywalker!"**

She blinked. For once, the voice wasn't in her head. She turned, and ten Sentinel droids were marching in her direction, energized melee weapons at the ready. One after another, the sneering projection of Palpatine appeared within their domes. 

_**"You will kill Luke Skywalker,"**_ they said in eerie unison, _**"or you will die!"**_

Mara narrowed her eyes, then cracked her neck with a shrug.

"Not if I kill the lot of you first."

They rushed her. With her back towards the blast door, she only presented a few angles of approach. While the droids were not living things, they moved through the air, made noise, and Mara could feel the heat of the energy arcing along the blades of their weapons. All of that was captured by her living senses, and she trusted herself and Force enough to let go of any sort of active battlefield analysis. There were almost twice as many droids as there had been at Canto Bight, and she'd walked away from that with only a few cuts. That was years ago, when the Force was more a tool than it was a part of her.

A single step back kept her out of the swing of a blade that might have taken off her nose. With that momentum, she bent back, dodging another thrust that could have opened her up in the midsection. Her left hand hit the deck as her knees bent, and she swung her lightsaber to her right. The magenta blade cut a Sentinel droid across the shins, and the torso of the automaton came crashing down. Pushing with her left arm and spinning, she exited the collapsing circle of droids and rose, the lightsaber rising with her, bifurcating a second droid as the others whirled on her.

They moved as if they anticipated her to dive in at them. Instead, she gave ground, goading them into attacking her. It was an odd feeling, as much as many of her duels and battles had seen her laying into her enemy with ferocity and a basic intent to kill. Now, listening as she was to the quiet guidance of the Force, she knew that defeating this foe — the one behind the droids, the one who had not abated in his pursuit of her — she needed more than a mere assassin's skill. As a third droid took the blade of her lightsaber through the face plate, and she swung downwards to take the head off of a fourth, Mara thought back to Luke's words, something he'd said many times.

_Trust the Force._

She was backing towards the _Nightsister. _With a moment's thought, she reached out with the Force, touching the actuation control for the hatch. A few more paces... maybe one or two more of these droids...

The Force shouted a warning. Mara stopped, ready for an unseen attack, raising her lightsaber in front of her in a vertical guard.

The droids had stopped as well, and when the cylinder slammed down around her, she realized it had not been an attack from them. It was some kind of trap or cage, just over a meter in diameter. She took a step, grip tightening on her lightsaber's hilt to chop through.

Cold. Incredible cold. Jets of what felt like weaponized chill slammed into her from all directions. The lightsaber went out as she raised her hands to try and protect herself. The gas was so cold it burned.

_Carbonite._

The thought raced through her mind before everything — her movements, her breathing, her thoughts — stopped.


	8. Exegol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sealed in carbonite and conveyed to the hidden lair of the cult known as the Sith Eternal, Mara comes face to face with what has haunted her for years, and must overcome the greatest trial of her life.

Warmth.

At first, it was comforting. Like waking up after a long cold night under a pile of blankets. Mara remembered, when she was a child, three blankets was a luxury. She only got three after her younger brother disappeared. Someone or something took him one night, and when she and her parents had awakened, only his favorite blanket was left. It happened a lot in the Coruscant slums. That was before Mara had decided to start scavenging and stealing. Before she'd found a way to climb into the Imperial Palace to find something worth selling for food.

Before the Emperor.

There was a noise — a low thrum. Then, hissing. Mara only heard it for a moment before sensation started coming back to her limbs. Pain lanced through her extremities to the extent that her skeleton suddenly felt like a single, screaming bruise. Whatever had been holding her upright either melted or evaporated, and she collapsed, her body hitting hard stone. She was already so sore and frostbitten she barely noticed.

"Good... Good... You survived your journey."

The voice echoed around her. She tried to open her eyes, but frost was clinging to her eyelashes, making it difficult. Even her eye sockets were sore. She took a deep breath, reached within her for the Force, and instead of demanding it giving her power to slay an enemy or survive an attack, she asked it to help her. Warmth of a different kind than the carbonite thawing blossomed within her. Moving slowly, she tried to get to her feet, and fell onto her hands and knees, retching.

"Such strength in you... so much potential... and yet, you have disappointed me, my Hand."

Mara took another deep breath. Her eyes finally opened, yet her vision was a dark blur. She reached for the Force again, remembering how Luke had felt when he'd used it and the things contained in Qui-Gon's holocron. She knew it would take time until she was more capable and healed, and she accepted that. Patience. She needed to be patient.

"You want me to believe you survived the Death Star, huh?" Mara tried to keep her voice steady. "Must have been quite a feat."

"It took every ounce of my power in the Dark Side." The sneer of Darth Sidious, the Emperor called Palpatine, was a tangible, audible thing. "The Skywalker boy and his feeble, weak-willed father thought they could take me by surprise with their betrayal. I had been prepared for years, with clone technology hidden here, ready for the moment when my immortal spirit would require a new vessel."

There was another sound Mara was picking up: an odd, mechanical whirring. The blurring of her vision began to clear. Slowly, she looked up.

The room around her was dark, but with the echoing of their voices and the feel of the air moving through it, it was large. The dark, amorphous form over her, at first, took her back to her childhood and her training, when Darth Sidious would loom over her and motivate her with taunts and threats. In hindsight, it was clear that he had calculated his rare moments of praise and affection to make sure she was relying upon him for that validation. She moved to sit, rather than stand, and as she did, she realized the form of the Sith lord who had once ruled the galaxy was not standing on the stone floor.

She heard the whirring again, and the vague silhouette of Sidious tilted its head to one side.

"You are recovering remarkably well from your hibernation sickness. Impressive."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises." Mara wanted to leap at him, lightsaber in hand, to finish what Luke had started. But she was still one giant, undeniable ache, and she wasn't sure if she even had her lightsaber. "Then again, I learned from you. I take it this little trick of yours didn't happen without some complications."

"In time, I will be restored to my full power." Mara heard a soft bubbling noise, and some light from the room's distant illumination — sunlight, maybe, or moonlight — showed some sort of tubes around the outline of the floating form. "Until then, I am... sustained. Waiting."

"That's why you froze me before bringing me here." Mara swallowed. "Couldn't have me physically able to take action against you, and restraints wouldn't have been enough."

"You have proven unwilling to follow my orders," Sidious snapped. "Luke Skywalker yet lives. You have been brought here for your final discipline."

Mara blinked a few times, still trying to coax more focus into her vision. No luck. Not yet, at least. She needed more time. To recover further from the hibernation sickness, figure out where she was, come up with a plan...

"Have you been speaking to me every time? Each time I heard you telling me to kill him, ever since you fell over Endor... that was you, from here?"

"My last command was implanted within your subconscious mind," the Sith lord replied. "You will hear my voice, and the command to kill Luke Skywalker, until either he dies, or you do."

"Guess you were too busy running away from him to do it yourself," Mara sniffed.

The Force slapped Mara across the face. She caught herself before she fell entirely to the floor, and gently pushed herself back up into a sitting position.

"Insolent girl," Sidious hissed. "I created you to be the perfect secret weapon to hunt down the Jedi who dared to defy or escape my will. I trained you to be strong—"

"And I _ am _ strong," Mara retorted. "I always have been. Call me insolent all you want, and tell me what a disappointment you think I am, but never forget that I've been strong enough to be here in front of you." She took a breath, and then, in spite of every fiber of every muscle begging her to stop moving just for a second, she slowly got to her feet. "I'm here _ standing _in front of you, your Highness. And I'm doing so because I choose to."

The laugh of the Sith lord was a cold and discomforting rattle. "Choice. What _ choice _do you think you have, girl? You will kill Luke Skywalker, or you will die. That is your choice."

"No, that's the _ problem. _ " Mara struggled to keep her voice under control. "You never _ gave _ me a choice. You took me from my family, kept me like a pet, trained me to kill for you, and made me think that was all I was good for. You tried to teach me that my only purpose was to be your assassin. You never let me be my own person... never even let me _ try _. You never gave me any agency over my own life. You did everything you could to make me entirely dependent upon you, so that even when you abused me and threatened me, I stayed."

"I made you strong," Sidious growled.

"My strength has nothing to do with you." Mara felt her jaw muscles tensing, her hands closing into fists. Her instinct was to lash out, to attack. She knew Luke would say that she had a choice. While there might be some weapon or other within reach of the Force, she knew there was something far more devastating and necessary at the ready for her: the facts. "I tracked Luke Skywalker down, and do you know what he showed me? He showed me _ real _ strength. He showed me courage. The courage and strength to overcome the greatest obstacle any of us could ever face: the obstacles we present to ourselves. Our doubts about ourselves, the distorted way in which we can see ourselves, the lies we tell ourselves and allow ourselves to believe when others say them to us, and about us. All of those things have more power over us than anything else in the universe. It takes courage to see that, and strength to work through it. I found that I have both, and that has _ nothing _ to do with you. I am Mara Jade, and I am who I am now because I _ made the choice _to be who I am now."

"Cease this prattling, sentimental nonsense." With the creaking of gears and softly whirring servos, the suspended figure of Sidious crept closer to her. "You disgust me."

"No, I don't," Mara shot back. "The fact is, you disgust _ yourself. _ You just don't want to admit that everything you hate about me and the galaxy at large reminds you of all of the things you hate about yourself. You want to control everything and everyone because that's easier than dealing with those things within yourself. All of this power you've accumulated, destroying worlds and cheating death, all of it is down to one simple fact: you are _ too scared _ to look to your own weaknesses, your own obstacles, and _ deal with them. _ Look at you. Lord of the Sith, Galactic Emperor, feared from the Core to the Outer Rim... and here you are, reduced to an animate cadaver hanging from a harness in the middle of nowhere space, literally too angry to die. Because you were too scared to face your own defeat, you're too scared to deal with the consequences of your actions, and you're too scared to live in a world where you're wrong about everything and everyone. _ That _ , your Highness, is who and what you are — you are a _ coward." _

A jolt of energized plasma, lightning created by the Dark Side of the Force, lanced through Mara's body. She screamed, and collapsed.

"Silence," Darth Sidious spat into the quiet that followed. "Your sanctimonious drivel ends here. Speaking words that are not yours, acting like an enlightened expert on the human condition after a few short years of exposure to misguided Jedi nonsense... your bravado is pathetic."

It took Mara a moment to breathe, and to find her voice. And when she did, she sighed and shook her head. In spite of the fresh agony in her body, she got back to her feet.

"It's understandable, lashing out with anger and inflicting pain when you hear something you don't like." She looked up at the shadowy form of Sidious. Though she couldn't make out the details, she felt where his gaze was coming from and met it. "I could be wrong about some details, it's true. I have the facts of my own life, and what I've seen in how you live yours. The way you're reacting to what I say fits what I think. As satisfying as it is to know just how scared you are of the truth, I've got to say... I pity you."

There was a soft, deep rumbling in the room as Sidious glared at her, saying nothing. Mara set her jaw, and spoke in a whisper.

"You're going to die alone, afraid, and screaming. And you will have nobody to blame but yourself."

"**ENOUGH.**" The room shook when Sidious bellowed. Mara stumbled, but stood her ground. "Consider yourself fortunate that I still have use for you. I should reduce you to ashes for your insubordination and defiance of my will. Instead, I will free you of the taint of this Jedi disease that has taken hold of your mind. I will bring you back to the Dark Side. You will kneel before me, you will thank me for my mercy, and _you will kill Luke Skywalker."_

Before Mara could respond, hands seized her arms. She struggled, but her body was still too weakened by the carbon freezing and the Sith lord's wrath. 

"Take her away," Sidious said. "Place her in the Aleema apparatus." Mara parsed her mind to try and remember where she'd heard that name. Before she could recall the knowledge, Sidious continued. "The alchemy of the ancient Sith sorceress will change you, Mara Jade. You will return as my Hand, loyal and deadly and subservient... or you will die. Either way, it shall be painful." Again, there was that audible sneer. "Remember that _ you chose this, _girl. Remember your own words to your Master—"

"I can live with my choices," Mara interrupted, "and accept the consequences. Can you say the same? Do you have that courage?"

The acolytes were already dragging her away as Sidious shouted his reply after her.

"Courage is for fools who know nothing of the Dark Side! Rediscover your hate or die a fool, Mara Jade! That is your _ only _choice now!"

His cackle followed her through twisting corridors deeper into the ground. She wasn't sure how long they dragged her before they arrived at their destination. Dutiful, uncaring hands pushed her into a cold metal apparatus. Restraining cuffs were locked around her wrists and ankles. Needles were pushed into her hands and her neck. With a hiss and whine, the injections began, and it burned and froze at the same time in her veins. Mara screamed.

Instinct caused her to reach out with the Force. Past the pain, past the Sith poisons, she knew that peace was out there in the void. She remembered how it felt when she'd found connection with Luke, even if it had been Darth Sidious making it happen. The Dark Lord was leaving it to underlings to torture and 're-educate' her, instead of doing it himself. Was he that weak? Could Mara work through his powers, now that she was this close to him, to find Luke?

It was a mental exercise that took her mind away from the pain of her body, but the way the Sith concoction was messing with her brain chemistry made it difficult to focus. The best way to make it happen, she realized, was to tell the Sith lord what he wanted to hear.

_ If I can find him _ , she thought, _ I can kill him. _

After a few more interminable, agonizing moments, the world around her fell away. Gone was the cold, clinical stone cavern where she'd been taken; she felt a warm breeze, heard the crackling of a fire, and her vision was clear enough for her to see Luke Skywalker sitting under the stars. He looked up, the firelight dancing in eyes that went wide at the sight of her. Slowly, he got to his feet.

"Mara." His voice echoed slightly, carried across the light-years between them. "Where are you? What's happening?"

"I don't know where I am." Mara heard her own voice breaking. "I don't know the name of this world. But Darth Sidious is here."

"That's impossible."

"Maybe it is." Already, the chemicals in her veins were rendering her recollection of seeing Darth Sidious murky, even moreso than it had been when she was fresh out of the carbonite. "Maybe it was a projection, maybe he's a ghost or something, but... whatever it is, he's got followers, and they're trying to change me back into who I was."

"He doesn't have the power to change you," Luke said, moving towards her. "Only you have that power."

"I know. I know that." Mara felt her tears leaving hot trails on her cheeks. "But you know that stubborn old corpse is going to try anyway." Another burning chill moved through her and she screamed. Luke's eyes filled with tears of his own.

"What are they doing to you?"

"It's some kind of Sith torture device. It's changing my brain chemistry."

"Fight it." Luke took another step. He was close enough to touch her. He reached out with his left hand, and she felt the warmth of his touch on her forehead. "You're not alone, Mara."

"He's connecting us," she told him, her voice shaking. "He wants me to find you so I can kill you."

"We both know that's not going to happen." Luke smiled. "You're going to make different choices." His hand moved to her cheek. "You'll get through this. You're not alone."

The scene shuddered. Mara fought her restraints. She wanted to touch him, to hold on to him. The tubes and cuffs snapped away and she collapsed to the stone floor. She blinked and looked around. No field, no stars, no fire, no Luke. She set her jaw and blinked back fresh tears. Sitting up, she started pulling needles out of her skin.

"Mistress! Oh, Mistress Mara, I found you! How joyous!" 

She looked up at the sound of that voice. IA-5, her droid and most constant companion, floated above her. The Sith acolytes who had been administering her torture and controlling the Aleema apparatus were dark heaps on the ground, their robes obscuring their bodies. IA-5's blaster and stunning prod were extended from their spherical body. The droid floated lower and a soft light glowed, moving over Mara's body. Mara reminded herself to send Aphra a message thanking her for the advanced lessons in droid maintenance and repair.

"Your body has been subjected to chemical injections of unknown origin, Mistress."

"Tell me something I don't know," Mara groaned, struggling to stand.

"Please hold still."

Blinking, Mara was about to ask why when IA-5 zipped close and jabbed her in the arm with a needle. Yelping, Mara jumped back.

"What was _ that _for?"

"I was given some information on similar concoctions, Mistress. I am unsure as to why, as cross-referenced parts of my databanks have been removed. Nevertheless, between the aforementioned information and my scan of your current bio-chemical makeup, I was able to synthesize a counter-toxin." IA-5 paused. "Please wait. You are about to experience pain."

Mara narrowed her eyes. Part of IA-5's Order 13, then, had been to do what the 'Aleema apparatus' was intended to do. As that thought occurred, Mara felt a momentary vice-grip take hold of her mind. She winced and tried to shake it off, to push it away. When the pain receded, she felt more like herself, and the hibernation sickness was gone. Her vision was clear, and her limbs obeyed her when she asked them to move.

And now that she could see clearly, she saw a familiar shape was magnetically held to the bottom of IA-5's body.

She held out her hand, and her droid dropped her lightsaber into her grip.

"I suggest we make our exit, Mistress. It will not be long before reinforcements are sent to deal with us. I have accessed local databanks to assist us in—"

"I'm going to deal with Darth Sidious first," Mara said. "If that was actually him, he can't be allowed to exist. He's too dangerous. And if there's something here that's projecting him or sustaining his spirit, that's just as dangerous, and I'm going to destroy it."

"That is an ill-advised course of action, Mistress," IA-5 replied. "This world, Exegol, has been holding and growing a force known as the Sith Eternal for many years. There are many other acolytes, trained soldiers, and—"

"Odds or no, I have to try." Mara ignited her weapon, drawing resolve from the hum and glow of its blade. She started down the rough-hewn corridor, with IA-5 right behind her.

"Mistress, I must report," the droid told her. "While the contents of the _ Manticore's _hangar were off-loaded, I discovered the means to access the Sith Eternal's communications network. There is a rather troublesome response to your escape."

"Do you have a layout of the facility?"

"I do indeed, Mistress."

"Find me the best covert route to Darth Sidious. I'm finishing this."

"I can do that, Mistress. However, I would be remiss if I did not inform you of the nature of the response I mentioned."

"Get on with it." Mara looked around a corner, then chose to move to her left, ready for anything.

"Orders have been given mobilizing the 'Tenebrous Legion' to intercept you and protect Darth Sidious."

A pair of troopers, their red and black armor looking like some odd mix between a clone trooper's kit and one of the old Imperial Guard, pointed towards Mara and called for her to stop. She crossed the distance with a moment's thought, and took both of them down in short order.

"What's the Tenebrous Legion?" Mara asked, looking around for more.

"Sith troopers, Mistress. Like your most recent clients, here. The legion dubbed 'Tenebrous' is the 26th of the Sith Eternal's forces. A legion consists of 5,000 of these troopers, and according to the communications, the entire Legion has been mobilized."

Mara ground her teeth. "Five _ thousand, _huh."

"Indeed. And Darth Sidious is himself guarded by several 'Sovereign Protectors', who number among the elite above and beyond any of the legions."

Mara sighed. "When in doubt, Order 66, I guess."

"Mistress?"

"He's afraid of me, as much as he was the Jedi, and he designed his clone army to gun them all down the moment it was convenient. Guess I should be flattered to be considered part of that company." Mara turned to her droid. "Where's the _ Nightsister? _"

"I can guide you, Mistress." The droid floated away in another direction. "It appears that some of the Tenebrous Legion were moved to block access to the hangars, but I can find a path of minimal resistance."

"You said the _ Manticore's _ hangar was emptied. Do you know why?"

"I am afraid not, Mistress. That has not been discussed since I joined their communications network."

"One thing at a time then," Mara said, pulling the Force around her to ensure any Sith troopers avoided looking directly at her until it was too late. "Let's get out of here."

When they next encountered Sith troopers, four of the armored soldiers were moving in a formation that allowed them to cover one another. IA-5 darted in, opening up with a few quick shots from their miniature blaster. As one of the troopers fell and the others took aim, Mara swept in, cutting one off at the knees and following through with a swing that sliced the torso of the adjacent trooper in half. The last trooper cried out as he kept shooting at the dodging droid, only to be rendered silent when Mara's backswing took his head.

The whole encounter lasted only a handful of seconds. Mara caught her breath. The effects of the carbon freezing and Sith torture still had a hold of her, and she did her best to let her body recover.

"Did any of them get communication out?" She looked up at IA-5, whose photo-receptor flickered for a moment.

"No, Mistress. Our surprise was complete and total."

"Good." Mara nodded, and started down the corridor again. "Let's keep that up."

IA-5 had indeed found them a route that, while circuitous, avoided most of the troopers. They encountered three more quartets, and each time played out almost exactly the same. When they got to the vast cavern that was being used as a hangar, with odd TIE fighters hanging from racks and conveyed by cranes, Mara quickly sized up the number of troopers present.

"There's maybe a hundred," she told IA-5. "Too many to take on all at once. Where's the _ Nightsister? _"

"Berth 88." The droid displayed a small holographic map of the hangar, with a red dot indicating the berth in question. "The far side of the hangar from us. We will not be able to move through the area without being spotted."

Mara heard a whining noise, and as it grew louder, she looked towards the mouth of the cavern to see two of the TIEs with those dagger-shaped wings coming in for a landing.

"Don't be so sure about that," she said quietly, and took a deep breath. She had used the Force in many ways on the minds of others — concealing her movements, convincing people to let her pass or give her a favorable outcome to a conversation, and so on — but what she was planning felt different enough that she was unsure she could pull it off. She reached out towards the closer of the two starfighters, seeking the mind of the pilot inside. Between the speed of the vessel and her own fatigue, it was not an easy prospect. As sweat blossomed on her brow, she made contact. With a grunt, she nudged the pilot's thoughts with the Force. She conveyed no words, sent no emotions. She just applied pressure to his mind.

It was enough.

The TIE fighter suddenly swung out of formation and ran headlong into its wingmate. Together, they tumbled to the deck and crashed in spectacular fashion. Klaxons began to sound, ground crew moved to deal with the fires and explosions, and Sith troopers ran hither and thither, creating a disorganized mess of bodies, shouts, and emotions.

"Most impressive, Mistress!" IA-5 bobbed in place, like an excited child hopping up and down. "Our chances of escape have increased exponentially."

"That was the idea. Let's move."

Mara darted from one area of cover to another — a shipping container here, a console there, a moving fire suppression device heading towards the calamity — and stayed low enough to avoid the eye level of most of the people around her. IA-5 took after her, swinging between the running legs of the humans around them. It wasn't until they were almost at Berth 88 that someone shouted after her.

"Is the ship locked down at all?" Mara asked as she turned, igniting her lightsaber.

"Only in a rudimentary and basic manner, Mistress." IA-5 sounded thoroughly disappointed, as if the parties responsible were in for a bad performance review. "I can have us airborne in moments."

"Get started." Mara exhaled and let the Force guide her as she deflected one blaster bolt after another. "I'm right behind you."

A few of the troopers tried to close in on her. When one of them got close enough, Mara reached out with the Force and pushed him over. He tumbled, his blaster going off into one of his comrades. Mara heard troopers behind her, and as they lined up their shots, pulled the Force in close as she had when initially making her escape. Bolts lanced past her on both sides, taking more of the troopers down. By now she was by the hatch to her ship, and she jumped on board. 

At first, she felt a surge of fear, as the ship was dark and unresponsive to her touching the control to close the hatch. Then, the lights snapped on and the hatch irised shut. IA-5 floated into view from the engine compartment.

"I have successfully defeated the lockdown, Mistress! We can leave at our leisure."

"Thank you," Mara said, and she reached out to put her hand around the spherical body of the droid. "Seriously... thank you, IA-5."

"It is a pleasure and honor to serve, Mistress. Shall I begin plotting an escape vector?"

"Do you know where we are?" Mara was climbing up to the command deck as she asked. She heard the engines warming up, probably thanks to IA-5 starting the procedure before she boarded. "I was frozen in carbonite, so I have no idea."

"Unfortunately, I remained in low-power mode during transit, Mistress, hidden in the prisoner area below." IA-5's voice was apologetic. "Exegol's exact location appears to be held at a security clearance to which I do not have access. I can extrapolate a best guess, but it will take some time. Hence asking to begin at this point, rather than once we are in orbit."

"Okay. Get started." Mara strapped in to her crash couch and felt the controls of her ship respond to her touch. She lifted free of the deck, activating the ventral turret and opening fire to clear out some of the troopers in her way. The _Nightsister _came to life and flew out of her berth, swinging towards the mouth of the cavern as Mara pushed the throttle towards escape velocity.

The atmosphere of Exegol was a mess. Clouds of dust and electrical discharges played havoc with her instruments, and she needed to reach out with the Force to try and find a way through the storms. A small holographic display appeared, showing Mara a navigational beacon.

"I have downloaded the telemetry data of this beacon, Mistress," came the voice of IA-5. "I believe it is intended to allow ships to navigate free of the fraught atmosphere of this planet."

"Well, good thing someone was thinking ahead," Mara muttered, syncing the _Nightsister _with the beacon and achieving orbit in short order. The expanse of stars amidst the field of endless black was a welcome sight.

Her proximity sensors went off, and Mara glanced at the scanner. A Star Destroyer was bearing down on her.

Moments later, her holographic display fizzled again, this time displaying a small representation of a familiar figure.

"Nice to see you, Grand Admiral Faro," Mara said. "Got that Interdictor handy?"

"No interdiction for you this time, traitor." Faro's voice was cold and severe. "The _Manticore _has been chosen for the honor of testing systems for a new breed of Star Destroyer. You are to be the first target of the most fearsome weapon at the Emperor's command to date."

"What weapon? What are you talking about?"

"The _Xyston _class of Star Destroyer will carry a weapon capable of destroying a planet on a platform far more mobile than any space station." Faro lifted her chin. "We are testing its systems before they go into mass production. Think of it, Emperor's Hand — a fleet of planet-killing warships, able to spread across the galaxy and bring order to the chaos in the universe."

"You definitely sound like the Emperor," Mara retorted. "But I know you don't think like he does. You want to be respected, rather than feared. And let me tell you, Karyn, that if you do this, if you unquestioningly carry out his edicts and get blinded by his rhetoric, you're going to regret it." She paused. "That's what happened to me. You have a choice, like I do, to stop it from happening again."

"Mistress, I am detecting an incredible power surge from the _Manticore._" IA-5 floated up beside Mara. "I believe they are preparing to fire."

Mara wrenched the controls of her ship into an evasive maneuver. "Listen to me, Karyn—"

"You will refer to me as _Grand Admiral_." Faro glared through the hologram as if she could burn Mara down from across the space between them. "You betrayed the Empire, Mara Jade. You turned your back on all of us, and now you will pay the price." The Grand Admiral turned her head. "Fire!" The hologram flickered out.

As Mara swung the _Nightsister _into a different direction, she caught sight of the _Manticore _as it approached from the far side of the planet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several explosions tearing through the primary hull of the ship. As an angry red light blossomed on her ventral hull, Mara felt a chill go down her spine. The superlaser was so powerful it was overloading the Star Destroyer's main reactor. Grand Admiral Faro was going to die, because she was so dedicated to killing in the Emperor's name.

Mara barely had time to recognize that she could have ended up the same way before the blast from the superlaser seared past the _Nightsister._

Alarms began to blare throughout the ship as panels sparked and burst. Mara growled and yanked at the controls.

"What happened? They missed!"

"The discharge from the superlaser was incredibly unstable, Mistress," IA-5 reported, barely audible over the din. "Our deflector shields were completely overloaded and the feedback has caused significant internal damage. Weapons systems are offline, shields are offline, sub-light engines operating at 50% capacity, life support is failing—"

"Hyperdrive?"

"Still active, Mistress."

"Then get us the hell out of here!"

"I have not completed my calculations for a safe jump, Mistress."

Mara glanced over at the scanner. Ships were coming up from the surface. Lots of them. And the _Nightsister _was threatening to fall into a spin, or get caught by Exegol's gravity.

"If we don't make the jump now, we'll never make it!"

There was a pause, then IA-5 plugged into the console. "I understand, Mistress. Course is set."

Mara used all of her strength to pull her ship into a vector away from Exegol and pushed the levers forward to get them into hyperspace. The closest of the TIE Daggers opened fire as the starlines appeared, stretching to embrace the _Nightsister_ and pull them into hyperspace.

The relief was short-lived, as with a wrenching sensation and a fresh set of alarms, realspace re-asserted itself.

"Don't tell me that they had an Interdictor along that vector," Mara growled.

"Negative, Mistress." IA-5 turned their photo-receptor to the viewport. "We have been pulled out of hyperspace by the mass shadow of that phenomenon. I believe it is a wormhole."

Mara blinked, and followed her droid's gaze to the swirling maelstrom of stellar matter in front of them. She could see light at the aperture of it, meaning light was escaping it. As she pulled at the controls, however, it wasn't unlike trying to break away from a planet's gravity. The engines of the _Nightsister _screamed in protest as she pushed the throttle to its limits.

"Mistress," IA-5 said gently, quietly. "I do not know if we can escape."

The forces of gravity and thrust felt like they were squeezing Mara flat. She reached out with everything she had, her willpower and determination and the Force, to try and get free of this latest threat. It had been one thing after another, and more than anything, she was just sick and tired of it.

Her vision started turning red at the edges. That wasn't a good sign. Still, she screamed in protest, as if the mere sound of her voice would repair the damaged engines and give them the thrust they needed to get free.

When she blacked out, her final thought was that, after everything she'd been through and the fact she'd gotten free of Darth Sidious, she was never going to see Luke again.


	9. Ahch-To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every journey, every love story, all good things... they must come to an end.

Mara Jade had very rarely stopped to listen to the sound of the ocean.

There had always been another mission to undertake, another world to visit, another Jedi to kill. She'd spent weeks on dingy backwater space stations, and months as part of smuggler or bounty hunter crews with the likes of Talon Karrde and Cad Bane, just to get to where she could find whatever Jedi that Darth Sidious wanted dead, and kill them. Her dedication and loyalty to her master kept her moving from one task to the next, always returning to Coruscant immediately when it was done, where there were no oceans. Fun, for her, was testing the security systems of the Imperial Palace. Relaxation was sparring with combat droids or trying to find more information on the Sith. It had never even occurred to her to simply spend some time by the ocean.

So when the sound of the ocean stirred her to consciousness, it took her a moment to realize what she was hearing.

She was laying in sand, on her side. She groaned as she rolled onto her back. Her shoulders, forearms, and knees feeling particularly sore. She took a moment to breathe and tried to remember what had happened.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

She sighed. Of _course _that was the first thing that popped into her mind.

Hot on the heels of that all-too-familiar and rather annoying voice was her memory of Darth Sidious, and she had laid out the facts and exposed his cowardice for what it was. No matter what, she was going to hold on to that moment for a long time. It was a reminder that he, and everyone else, only had as much power as she chose to gave them. 

That hadn't stopped Darth Sidious from trying to kill her, of course, after IA-5 had helped her escape, and...

Her eyes snapped open.

It was night. Somewhere in the distance, a seabird cried out, looking for something to pluck out of the ocean for supper. Mara struggled to get to her feet. The sand under her was somewhat slippery. The tide was coming in. Foam lapped at her boots as she tried to get her bearings.

Not far from her was a line of trees, indicating the presence of a forest. Part of that forest was on fire.

Mara started making her way towards the flames. She winced after a few steps, her hand going to her side. There was no blood, but it felt like at least one of her ribs was broken. A twisted bit of wreckage poked out of the sand at her, but it was difficult for her to discern what it could have been. She kept breathing, focusing on making her way across the beach towards the trees and the fire, one step at a time.

Her heart sank when she was close enough to the source of the fire. The _Nightsister_ lay in ruins.

She picked her way through the wreckage, trying to find some trace of IA-5. It was difficult to determine what part of the flaming corpse of her ship had been the cabin, or the command console, or the engines. Her head was pounding and the pain in her ribs was getting worse.

"IA-5?" Her voice was hoarse, and she barely recognized it as her own. Smoke inhalation, maybe. "IA-5! Are you there?"

She almost tripped. When she regained her footing, she looked down. Her foot was caught under a curved, dark piece of metal, distinct from the gunmetal of the _Nightsister's _hull. She bent down and pulled at it. It was part of IA-5's body — the portion of the droid's sphere that had contained the photo-receptor. Mara's vision swam and her jaw tightened.

No. This wasn't right. None of this was right.

She turned the metal over in her hands. On the interior surface, above where the lens for the IA-5's visual input system had been, she saw a gently blinking red light. With a quivering hand, she touched it.

"Mistress Jade," the recording began, in the droid's dutiful and prim voice. "If you are hearing my vocabulator render this text into speech, I have not survived the crash of the _Nightsister. _Forgive me for not being present to assist you further. While we survived our transit through the wormhole, the journey has rendered you unconscious. As stellar phenomena are not a core part of my programming, I cannot comment on the wormhole's nature. I can only share what I have observed. We exited the wormhole and, perhaps because we'd never shut it down, the hyperdrive reactivated. I had calculated us a course to return to Ahch-To, the home of the first Jedi Temple, which I believe would have been your preference."

Mara sank to her knees as a branch nearby snapped and fell to the ground.

"However, as we were now much closer to that world and approaching from a different vector, the navi-computer did not have time to compensate, and so we emerged from hyperspace already in the planet's gravity well. We are crashing, and there is insufficient power in the engines to facilitate a safe landing. I have made preparations for the command couch to eject once a survivable distance for emergency parachute deployment can be calculated. I apologize that there is not more I can do. I do hope you survive your landing, Mistress. I highly doubt I will survive mine. Should that be the case, know that I have enjoyed being your servant and companion. Do not despair. You have overcome so much; you will overcome this, as well. Good-bye, Mistress."

The red light went out. Mara clutched the fragment of her friend close to her, and she wept.

* * *

The next thing Mara remembered was the sight of a metal hand bursting out of a pile of rubble.

In front of her, a scene played out. Luke Skywalker slowly, painfully, climbed out of what had once been some sort of hut or hovel. Mara tried to call out to him, but her voice didn't seem to be working. Or maybe he couldn't hear her. Either way, he was staring at a nearby building — a temple, set ablaze, littered with debris and corpses around it. She saw him reaching for the droid beside him, with his metal hand, and then—

Nothing.

She sat up and rubbed her head, still holding on to a fragment of IA-5 with her other hand. The day had come, and the fire had burned out. She heard a noise behind her, and saw two figures moving in her direction. They waddled in her direction tentatively, perched on spindly bird-like legs. After a moment, it occurred to Mara that she had seen them before. When she had landed on Ahch-To to confirming that it was indeed the home of the Jedi temple, similar creatures had approached her. One of them was dragging a net that seemed to be full of fish. The other seemed more curious about Mara, blinking large eyes. Mara's instinct was to get on her feet, pull out her lightsaber, fend them off...

No. That wasn't who she was anymore.

She reached out with the Force, slowly, gently. The minds of the creatures were very alien, far removed from Mara's own experiences and perceptions, but concern was concern, and the alien approaching her was concerned and curious. Mara sensed this was a female of the species; the male, the one carrying the fish, seemed a little impatient.

"I mean you no harm," she said quietly. "I crashed here. I'm sorry."

The female moved closer and took Mara's hand. With her help, Mara managed to stand, looking down at the two of them. Mara's stomach growled, and the two aliens exchanged a look. Mara patted her belly.

"Do you have enough to share?"

Either they understood Basic, or they trusted Mara for some reason. They gestured for Mara to follow, and lead her to a small settlement composed mostly of several small round huts of brick and stone. It was very similar to the one Mara had seen on the temple's island. She had come and gone so fast when she'd made her discovery, so excited to convey the good news to Luke, that she'd barely registered the presence of the natives. Now that she thought of it, she could recall several of the females, dressed in sedate white robes, watching her run first up to the temple, then all the way back down to the _Nightsister_. As they moved through the village, Mara took a moment to look around, picking out what she could of the landmarks around her. She didn't recognize any of it. This was not the same island she'd landed on, the island where the temple was located. The place where Luke might be heading.

** _YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER._ **

Mara closed her eyes and sighed. Sidious had told her that the command had been planted in her subconscious. She had no idea how she was going to end up dealing with that. There might be something in the Jedi temple to help her... if she could find it. She kept trying to get some kind of idea as to where on the planet she was. But without some sort of navigational chart, or at least some means of determining which way was which, she wasn't likely to get any where.

She was lead to a stone pavilion with steps leading down to the beach. Several of the natives had gathered, males and females, and they seemed to be in high spirits. There was music and chattering, and they were passing fish around and dancing. Mara smiled a bit, but soon her thoughts turned back to how she was going to figure out where she was and where to head next. There might be equipment to salvage from the _Nightsister; _even a single working repulsorlift could make a huge difference.

The thought struck Mara as she was handed a cooked fish. She looked at the person handing it to her, the female from the beach, who nodded slowly while eyeing Mara and holding out the fish. Smiling, Mara took the meal and sat down near the fire. She took the first bite of the fish, and when the hot and flaky meat touched her tongue, she realized just how starved she was. She tore into the meal hungrily, and it was only when the bones of the fish were nearly picked clean did she look up to see the natives around her staring, more in fascination than anything else.

She smiled a little and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Um. Sorry. That was... probably really rude."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, another female waddled over, handing Mara a second fish.

Blinking, Mara looked from one face to another. She picked up the fish and lifted it towards her mouth. Everyone around her leaned closer. Getting a feeling as to what they were expecting, Mara feinted a bite. They all gasped. Grinning, she repeated the motion. Then, she ate with gusto, the voices around her chattering and making a noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter. When she was finished, she leaned back and waved a hand at them.

"I'm glad you think I'm funny," Mara said, "but honestly I have no idea if or how you're going to understand me when I say I'm not looking to be kept as a pet."

They at least understood her tone if not her words, and they moved off to resume celebrating with one another. Mara watched for a bit, then realized the sun was going down. How long had she slept in the middle of her wrecked starship? She shook her head and got to her feet. The female from before moved over to her and blinked up at her.

"I'm very grateful for the food, but I have to get going."

To Mara's shock, the other shook her head and took Mara by the hand. Curious, Mara allowed herself to be pulled over to one of the huts. The native gestured for Mara to go inside, where she found a bed and a small side table. Mara turned to ask why she'd been brought here when the door closed. Furrowing her brow, Mara moved to the door and opened it. It wasn't locked.

"Hey!" Mara called out to the native, who was returning to her people. "What's this?"

The female gave what looked to be a sort of 'shoo' gesture. Mara felt even more confused. Then, as she closed the door, Mara felt aches crawling back into her body. The broken rib, the trauma of the crash, the poison, the carbonite... all of it felt like it was catching up all at once. She all but collapsed onto the bed.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.** _

"Shut up and let me sleep," Mara Jade said into the pillow, which smelled vaguely of fish.

* * *

The first thing Mara managed to pull out of the _Nightsister's _wreckage was the Jedi holocron. Miraculously, it had survived intact, without even a scratch. Qui-Gon's recorded lessons helped Mara tune in with the Force to the moods and intentions of the Caretakers and the Visitors — which was how the females and males, respectively, thought of themselves. The Visitors came home once a month from their long fishing trips, and the Caretakers looked after the settlements and forests. The Caretakers on the island of the temple must have been the ones in the white robes, Mara realized. When she asked them where the temple might be, the Caretakers all seemed to indicate different directions, and gestured towards the clouds and sea in a rather concerned manner. 

Through meditation, training her body, and learning some of the local flora's properties from the Caretakers, Mara healed over a matter of weeks. As she did, she salvaged bits and pieces of the _Nightsister_ to start putting together a boat. None of the major technology of the ship had survived. Whatever didn't go towards her boat project, Mara brought to the Caretakers, and together they found ways to put the scraps of metal or wire to use — stronger nets for the Visitors to use, repairs to huts damaged by storms, even a lightning rod. While they still had trouble grasping one another's meaning from time to time as they tried to communicate, Mara and the Caretakers found ways to understand one another.

She tried, on more than one occasion, to use her pendant to pinpoint the location of the Temple. It became clear, rather quickly, that now that she was on Ahch-To itself, a pendant with the water of the planet wasn't going to help her find something relatively small on the surface of that planet. Meditation wasn't helpful, either. This was a peaceful planet that teemed with life, and more than one location seemed suffused with the Force. It occurred to Mara that it made for a perfect place to hide a Jedi temple. Without her way of finding the planet, and the way she'd visually scanned the surface from the _Nightsister_, it might have been impossible to find. Indeed, it had taken more than a few years of hopping from star to star in the Unknown Regions to finally get here.

On more than one night, she wondered if she should have stayed when she'd initially found it. If she could have been content waiting here for Luke. Then she remembered the vision.

She'd also reached out with the Force to find Luke, and found nothing. No trace of him in the Force. Qui-Gon told her that a Jedi could shut themselves away from the Force. "It was something I taught my apprentice Obi-Wan," the projection of the Jedi Master had said. As she tinkered and tested her boat, Mara tried to do so herself, in an attempt to silence the voice of Darth Sidious in her mind. Unfortunately, she continued to hear _**YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER **_at least a few times a day.

It occurred to her, one night, that once she'd started to think of him as Darth Sidious, not 'the Emperor', it was easier to keep his voice at a distance. The Emperor was the person who'd taken her in, taught her the ways of the Force, and given her what she'd thought was her only purpose in life. Darth Sidious was an evil and spiteful old man, a Dark Lord of the Sith, who had slaughtered hundreds if not thousands of Jedi out of fear and hatred. Mara learned to accept that she had been a projection of that hatred, a tool of another person's emotions, and that once she learned that she had a choice, she'd made the choice to listen to her own emotions and thoughts, and to deal with the facts, rather than simply going with what one person was telling her.

These meditative nights helped her focus during the day on her boat, and her plan to find the temple.

With a welding torch scavenged from the wreckage of her ship, and parts of the hull sliced and shaped by her lightsaber, Mara's boat took shape over a period of a few weeks after she felt recovered enough to really tackle the task. She took it to sea the moment she felt it was seaworthy, and as she pushed it out into the surf, a few Caretakers came running in her direction, waving their arms and squawking frantically. Mara waved back and looked to the boat's single sail. Not long after, a storm rolled in, and Mara nearly drowned. She needed to pull the boat back to shore with the Force, an act that exhausted her. The boat had survived, but not without significant damage.

Lesson learned.

She studied the storms and the tides, the ways the Visitors came and went, and how they built their boats. During one of the celebrations, she pulled one of the Visitors aside and asked to join him on his journey. It had struck the native has extremely odd, Mara could tell, yet he conceded. Mara watched and learned, taking mental notes on how to trim sails and manage ballast, even in the midst of the sort of storm that had capsized her during her first ill-advised voyage.

Another test of the boat went much better. She spent two weeks alone at sea, learning the patterns of the stars away from the foliage of the island, meditating among the calming sound of the waves, and weathering the storms that rolled in, the Force her protector and assistant in staying upright and cresting giant waves. Eventually, however, she had to concede that she had no idea where she was going, and she was running out of fresh water. So, she returned to the island, and was surprised at how warmly she was greeted by the Caretakers. They considered her part of their family.

She started telling stories by the fire after that. Stories of her own exploits, the stories Luke had shared with her through their holographic correspondence, and ones she started making up. The Caretakers were enthralled, though not always comfortable when the stories turned violent. These were incredibly peaceful people, and Mara found their presence a calming and healing one. While the voice of Sidious remained a part of her, she weathered it the way she did the storms that battered her boat. 

Years went by. Mara knew that Luke would eventually come to Ahch-To. It had been something he'd talked about so often, and helping him find it had been why Mara had come to the Unknown Regions in the first place. Qui-Gon so often told her to trust in the Living Force. 

And so, Mara Jade waited, trusted, and hoped.

* * *

It was just before dusk when it happened.

It started like a roll of thunder. There was no storm on the horizon, though. The wind hadn't changed, the way it always did before storms descended on the village. Mara was sitting by the shore, on the prow of her boat, a cup of water in her hand. The surface of the water rippled, as if something large had come to landed on the ground near her.

Her eyes snapped up towards the horizon. The cup fell from her numb fingers, but she never heard it hit the sand. Everything seemed to come to a sudden halt. Shaking, she got to her feet, and turned.

Sitting across from her, on a precipice, was Luke Skywalker.

"Luke."

"Mara..." Luke slowly got to his feet. His eyes, haunted and stamped by tragedy, started to glisten. "Mara? You're alive!"

"Yes! Yes, I'm alive, and I'm on Ahch-To!"

Luke's eyes widened. "You're here? Where are you?"

Mara looked past Luke at the sky, the time of day... "Not far. A day's sail, maybe two. There's so much I want to tell you. Are you at the temple?"

"Yes. And I'm not alone."

Mara stared at him. "Who's there with you?"

Luke blinked, then looked over his shoulder. "I have to go."

"Luke?"

"My student. She's..." He set his jaw and turned back to Mara. "Come find me. I don't think we have much time."

Mara ran towards him, and suddenly, was back on the deck of her boat. Scrambling, she checked her supply of fresh water, her food, spare parts and scraps of metal she might need to repair her hull. She had her lightsaber, her toolkit, and now, she knew exactly where Luke Skywalker was.

Sailing through the night would be dangerous, but Mara didn't care. Luke was here. He was close. And nothing was going to keep them apart.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

Mara ground her teeth. She pushed the boat out into the water. Leaping onto the deck, she unfurled the sail and grasped the rudder.

It was a few hours later when a storm truly rolled in. She was out of sight of shore, now, and it was down to her alone to navigate the dangerous waters. She closed her eyes and reached for the Force.

The ocean was a living thing. She was part of the fabric of life on this world. It was all part of the Living Force. She let the energies, the roiling power of the storm, wash over and through her. She let the Force guide her through the swells and the waves. As much as the spray of the sea spattered across her face, and the wind stole warmth from her fingers, the Force was more than her body and the metal hull of the boat. 

"Luke!" She cried out into the teeth of the storm. "Luke! I'm coming!"

The storm subsided eventually. When dawn broke, the twin suns rising, Mara felt the light on her skin, drawing strength from the stars that had sustained Ahch-To for millions of years. She gripped the ropes of her sails all the more tightly and closed her eyes.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

Instead of listening to that voice, Mara reached out with the Force, seeking the light of the Jedi on that distant shore. 

"Luke... I know you're there."

The deck of the boat rolled under her, and after a moment, Luke stood in front of her. The cavern she saw was large, and in its center was a small standing pool. She looked around and smiled.

"You're in the Temple itself. I can't wait to see it in person again."

"Mara. I'm out of time."

Mara blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Ben. I failed him. He's trying to destroy everything. The Rebellion, my student, Leia... all of it. He'd burn it all down just to hurt me."

Mara tightened the grip on the rope. "You don't have to face this alone, Luke. I'm on my way. We'll get through it."

Luke shook his head. "Alone is the only way I can do this. I have to deal with the consequences of my failure. You can't do that for me."

"I know that, but..." Mara bit back her frustration and took a deep breath. "Luke. Be patient. I'm almost there."

The deck of the boat was small. Luke crossed it in two steps, and was standing in front of Mara. "I wish I could wait for you."

"What are you talking about?" Tears stung at Mara's eyes. "We've both waited for so long."

"I know." Luke reached up and touched her face. Gently, slowly, they kissed. Mara closed her eyes and felt the warm trails slide down her cheeks, tasted the salt along with Luke's warmth and light. The beard was an odd sensation, but Mara was resolved to get used to it. Neither of them moved for a long moment. Then, Luke stepped away, and Mara slowly opened her eyes again, to look at the last Jedi.

"I'm sorry, Mara." Luke, for his part, was also crying. "I love you, and I'm sorry."

"No. No, Luke, wait!"

He was gone. Mara was alone on her boat.

_ **YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!** _

"I just might," Mara said to the empty ocean, "because he's scaring me."

All she wanted was to put some kind of hyperdrive on her boat to get her to the temple instantly. Or strap a big fan or sublight engine to it to rocket across the waves. But all she had was her sail and the Force. She did all she could with both. The day stretched on interminably. By the time she sighted the large mountain of rock marking the temple island, the suns were already descending through the clouds. Before she knew it, the shore was rushing towards her. She didn't bother to guide the boat gently to its landing. The moment she was within range of the beach, she jumped from the deck onto the sand, and took off at a sprint.

She found a winding path, not unlike that on the other island, and Caretakers watched with concern and curiosity as she ran past them. The Force was so strong here. Every heartbeat was bringing her closer.

** _YOU! WILL! KILL! LUKE! SKYWALKER!!_ **

"I won't," she whispered, out of breath but still running. "I love him. You can't stop that. You never could. You were too cowardly to love, too short-sighted to understand it. I'm here, I've found him, and nothing's going to keep us apart again."

She rounded a corner, ran past a few more huts, and entered the cavern that was the first temple of the Jedi.

He sat facing away from her, looking out across the sea, watching the twin suns set. Mara smiled, relief washing over her as she caught her breath. She closed her eyes to calm her racing heart, and when she finally had enough air in her lungs, she opened her mouth to call his name.

Slowly, as Mara watched, the body of Luke Skywalker faded from view. His robes, worn and damaged by time and the elements, floated gently onto the rock. 

"No."

Mara's eyes went wide and she screamed.

"NO!"

Running, she crossed the space of the temple, and fell to her knees in front of the rock. Her hands grasped at the robes, looking for something, any sign of him. She picked them up and held them close. She barely noticed the prosthetic hand tumbling out off the robes, bouncing across the rock, and down towards the sea.

They smelled like Luke. They smelled like the sea. They smelled like...

Mara closed her eyes and the wracking sobs came a moment later. Her mind kept trying to puzzle out if this was some kind of trick, an illusion, a trap laid for her by Darth Sidious. She waited for the vile laughter, the taunts, the repeat of his last command for her to kill Luke Skywalker.

Nothing came.

From the corner of her mind where the influence of the Sith had lingered, there was silence.

In the midst of her grief came a feeling of relief and of release. Then, frustration and anger. She was finally free of what had hounded her for all of the years since that day over Endor, never again to hear that hateful and sepulchral voice, just in time to lose the man she loved.

Irony twisted the knife in her heart, and she could only cry harder.

What was the point, now? What was she going to do? She was stranded on this world, without the purpose that had brought her here, without any true company or companionship. She was alone, and she would be for the rest of her— 

"Mara..."

She sniffed, tears hot on her face, and looked up from the robes she'd been weeping into. The night had fallen. Moonlight bathed the world around her, and there was a cool breeze. The voice had come from behind her. Slowly, shaking, she turned to look over her shoulder.

As she watched, a silhouette gradually took shape in front of her. A tall figure, dressed in robes, wearing a single glove on his right hand, bright blue eyes standing out in a face that had seen far more than its share of tragedy and loss. It glowed — _he _glowed — in the midst of the solemn and silent temple.

"Mara. Don't despair. I'm always going to be with you."

Clutching the robes, Mara got to her feet and turned to face the ghost of the last Jedi.

"Skywalker," she said, her voice trembling, "you have got a _lot _of explaining to do."

* * *

When the crash happened, Mara was down by the beach, fixing her boat. She wasn't sure if she was ever going to use it again, but Luke had shown her the resting place of his old X-Wing, saying "You never know what you might need in the future." So she was patching a hole in the stern when the streak of fire and smoke crossed the sky above her. Luke followed her gaze and turned to her.

"Finish what you're doing and then come up," he told her, then disappeared.

Mara was getting used to that, but she didn't like it much. Luke was part of the Cosmic Force, now, something beyond the living world and yet still part of it. He had all sorts of things to do and places to go. He always came back to her, though, and that helped. Shaking her head, Mara finished the patch on the boat, put on Luke's old robe to help with the chill in the air, and made her way up the stairs towards the temple.

She didn't get all the way there. As she came into view of one of the large open spaces, where a TIE fighter had crashed, a porg alighted on her shoulder. It chirped quizzically. 

"Yeah, I think I know who it is, too," she said.

She watched as a young woman stood, her eyes on an X-Wing being levitated out of the water, covered in seaweed. Standing behind the woman was Luke, his left hand held out as he concentrated on the Force. Mara walked up beside the ghost and waited until the X-Wing was safely on the ground.

"He hasn't gotten to show off in a long time," Mara called out. The woman turned as Luke gave Mara an incredulous look.

"I was _not _showing off," he said.

"It's okay, Skywalker, you're allowed to every once in a while." Mara patted his shoulder and jumped down from the outcropping to stand in front of the approaching newcomer. "You must be Rey."

"Who are you?" Rey's demeanor was guarded, but curious. Her eyes moved over Mara's appearance, the fact that Mara was wearing Luke's old robe, the porg on her shoulder.

"My name's Mara. I used to be known as the Emperor's Hand. Now, I look after the temple. Along with the Caretakers." She looked at the wrecked TIE fighter and shook her head. "They aren't going to like this much."

Rey looked sheepish. "I don't think they like _me _much."

"You're young and full of fire," Mara told her with a smile. "It's forgivable. I remember when I was like you." 

"What's an 'Emperor's Hand'?"

Mara looked at Luke, who gave her a solemn nod. "I was raised by Darth Sidious — Emperor Palpatine — to hunt and kill the Jedi knights who escaped his purge. I was good at it. One got away, though, and after the Empire fell, I still had the compulsion to hunt him down." She didn't have to look to know that Luke was now standing beside her. "I found him, and I found something else at the same time: the courage to choose for myself who I am and who I want to be."

Rey studied her for a long moment. Then, she nodded. "He seems to be good at that."

"I haven't always been good at it," Luke said. "Remember how you found me, Rey."

Mara looked at Luke, then at Rey. The young Jedi shrugged.

"He was hiding. A hermit. He'd run away out of fear."

Mara turned to Luke again. "Shame on you, Skywalker."

"Don't _you _start," Luke replied, but there was the hint of a smile behind his beard. "I get enough stick from Master Yoda. Literally."

"Good. We all need some humility now and again." Shaking her head, Mara turned back to Rey. "Fear can be a powerful thing. It's a core part of the Sith mentality. All of the anger and violence flows out of fear. But Sith never face their fear — they project it on to others. Like Darth Sidious did, and is still doing."

Rey grew solemn. "He's my grandfather. He says I have a destiny because of my bloodline. Master Skywalker, on the other hand..."

"He's right." Mara took a step towards Rey. "Listen to Luke. He's right. Blood doesn't matter. I had no special blood. I was nobody. And for a while, I didn't think I was anybody without the Emperor. But if I've learned anything, it's this: Anyone can be a sky-walker. Even if your family doesn't have the name, it doesn't matter. If you have the courage to lead the way, to forge your own path forward, to break through your inner obstacles, then you walk in the sky. Remember that. Don't let Palpatine, or anyone else, tell you any different."

Rey looked at Mara, and something seemed to dawn on her. "You love him."

Mara blinked, then nodded. "In another life... you might be calling me Mara Jade Skywalker." She looked at Luke. "And not just because anyone can be a sky-walker."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure if it's legal for you to marry a ghost."

"How exactly is anyone going to stop me, Skywalker? Unless you're going to turn me down."

"You already know I won't."

Mara turned back to Rey, who looked both amused and relieved. "To be honest," Luke's apprentice said, "I never liked the thought of him being on this island all alone. I'm glad you're here. It's good to meet you."

"Likewise." Mara looked past Rey at the X-Wing. "Now. Let's get that antique cleaned up and operational. Seems to me you've got somewhere you need to be."

Together. Mara and Rey pulled the seaweed out of the X-Wing. As Rey familiarized herself with the controls and got the wayfinder connected to the navigational systems, Mara tuned up the engines and ensured the hull integrity was sound. Eventually, the starfighter was humming as its reactor spun up. Mara moved to the cockpit and handed Rey Luke's old helmet.

"I'd come with you, if I could," Mara said, "but this is your fight. Besides, it's too tight a squeeze in that astromech socket, and even a Jedi can't survive in vacuum for very long."

Rey smiled. "Thank you, Mara. Keep an eye on Master Skywalker."

"I will. You'll always be welcome here, you know. Even if you annoy the Caretakers."

"I'll come back." Rey strapped on the helmet. "That's a promise."

The porg on Mara's shoulder chirped happily. Mara touched Rey's shoulder.

"When you see him... remember that you're not alone. He once commanded me to kill Luke Skywalker. He believed it was my destiny. I never did, despite the many times I could have done so. Your destiny is what you make of it, Rey Skywalker. Remember that." Mara smiled. "Go get him."

Rey nodded, smiling back at her. Mara moved down from the cockpit, and Luke appeared beside her.

"May the Force be with you, Rey," the Jedi Master said. Rey began to close the cockpit.

"I won't let you down, Master Skywalker!" The cockpit hissed shut, and the X-Wing lifted gently off of the ground before turning towards the sky and speeding away.

Mara felt Luke's left hand taking hold of hers. Their fingers laced together.

"I don't believe she will," Luke said. "She carries the best of all of us."

"Hey. Skywalker."

Luke turned to face her. She also turned, to meet his gaze.

"How about you stop thinking about what's going to happen next, or how we got here, or how things might have turned out... and just... be here? With me? Right now?"

Luke studied her face, then smiled sheepishly.

"I guess some things never change," he told her.

"You've got that right. And one of those things is incredibly important. It always has been, and always will be."

"What's that?"

"I will love Luke Skywalker," said Mara Jade.

**THE END**


End file.
